T-2. Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers lost the draft lottery, meaning they finally won’t get a top-three talent in the draft. Seeing the Canucks drop to fifth hurt, but seeing the Oilers miss out as well could make us feel a little bit better. Or so we thought. Instead of the Oilers picking a defenseman or Matthew Tkachuk, leaving Canucks fan favorite Pierre-Luc Dubois for Vancouver, Dubois went to the Columbus Blue Jackets and Jesse Puljujarvi dropped into the Oiler’s lap.
Well sh*t.
Another player many Canucks fans would have loved to see in Vancouver was forward Tyler Benson. He, too, was picked up by the Oilers. Many fans liked big OHL defenseman Markus Niemelainen, but guess where he went: 63rd to Edmonton.
Here is the 2016 Edmonton Oilers draft class:
| Rnd | Pick | Overall | Team | Player | Pos | Country | Height | Weight | Amateur League | Amateur Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 4 | EDM | Jesse Puljujarvi | RW | SWE | 6′ 3″ | 208 | FINLAND | Karpat |
| 2 | 2 | 32 | EDM | Tyler Benson | LW | CAN | 5′ 11″ | 197 | WHL | Vancouver |
| 3 | 2 | 63 | EDM | Markus Niemelainen | D | FIN | 6′ 4″ | 198 | OHL | Saginaw |
| 3 | 23 | 84 | EDM | Matthew Cairns | D | CAN | 6′ 2″ | 200 | OJHL | Georgetown |
| 3 | 30 | 91 | EDM | Filip Berglund | D | SWE | 6′ 3″ | 209 | SWEDEN-JR. | Skelleftea Jr. |
| 5 | 2 | 123 | EDM | Dylan Wells | G | CAN | 6′ 1″ | 182 | OHL | Peterborough |
| 5 | 28 | 149 | EDM | Graham McPhee | LW | USA | 6′ 0″ | 173 | USHL | USA U-18 |
| 6 | 2 | 153 | EDM | Aapeli Rasanen | C | FIN | 6′ 0″ | 196 | FINLAND-JR. | Tappara Jr. |
| 7 | 2 | 183 | EDM | Vincent Desharnais | D | CAN | 6′ 5″ | 207 | H-EAST | Providence |
The Oilers obviously had it easier than the Canucks, owning nine picks including five in the first three rounds. But the Oilers also used them well, picking players where they were expected to be picked, and grabbing others that fell much farther than expected.
Matthew Cairns is a big two-way defenseman from the Ontario Jr. A league. He is committed to Cornell University, and we won’t find out how big his potential really is until next year. But, he shows a lot of promise already, and could become a great two-way player with good size, who can solidify an NHL top four.
Read: Tyler Benson — Draft Profiles — Markus Niemelainen
Filiip Berglund is an overage D-man from Sweden who had a breakout year in Sweden’s top junior league. With 19 goals and 41 points in 43 games, he showed a lot of promise offensively, while playing a solid defensive game as well. Berglund could be an elite player in Europe or a top-four guy in the NHL, depending on his development.
Another notable pick is Finnish center Aapeli Rasanen, who was ranked 59th by Future Considerations. Only time will tell whether Edmonton made a bad pick or FC completely misjudged Rasanen. As of today, it looks like Edmonton got a great two-way center very late in the draft.
Grade: A
Next: No. 1