Oilers Draft and Offseason Report

One of the greatest challeges in sports is to get yourself back up after complete failure. That is essentially what last season was for the Oilers, and actions needed to be taken ahead of what will be a pivotal 2023-2024 season. The offseason began with several key financially motivated moves.

Out: Tarasenko, Hertl, Pelech, Coe, Oberg, Salmnen, 2024 5th
In: Saad, Dumoulin, Faksa, Hirvonen, Commesso, and four picks in the 2023 draft

Speaking of those acquired picks, the Oilers drafted four standout prospects to add to what was a slightly depleted organizational depth:

Beau Akey - a slight win for the Oilers in the 2nd round was the smooth skating offensive defenseman. An area of weakness behind Zellweger for the Oilers, they will rely of Akey to be a key cog in a few years. He's got the speed, skill, mobility, and brains. If he can put everything together, should be someone fun to watch.

Felix Unger Sorum - the playmaking Swede went in the 2nd round to the NHL Canes who generally haven't missed much in recent drafts. His main strengths are defense and playmaking, and that sounds like someone the Oilers can use down the line. The hockey IQ is there so the NHL is a more likely scenario in some capacity.

Yegor Sidorov - the Oilers were asking themselves how the young Belarussian slipped to them in the 3rd round. GM Oily knows that anyone that can score 40 in the dub is worth his time and investment. The kid hasn't seen his family in over a year, but is staying committed to playing in the NHL as the most important thing. That's heart right there.

Luca Cagnoni - a slight drop compared to where the Oilers had him, Cagnoni went in the 4th round to the NHL Sharky, where there's hope he will develop into a fine two way defenseman down the road in the mold of a Erik Karlsson.

The rest of the offseason calls for further action. Salary cap wise, the team is looking much more comfortable with just over 11M in space entering free agency. Keeping lessons from the past in mind, the Oilers do not plan to be active on the market this season. With inflation and market incertainty, there is an effort to keep financial stability in mind. The Oilers are even considering contracting the services of Sharky CPA to ensure the books are up to snuff. 

As it stands today, the Oilers lineup is actually pretty decent on paper. The sheer firepower of a potential Miller-Stephenson-Verhaeghe-Theodore-Andersson power play unit would probably put some fear into all opposing goalies. But the goals have shifted - the Oilers are looking for consistent, long term success. Not one and dones, not 1st round exits, and certainly not missed playoff seasons.

Some degree of patience will be required in order to get there. Rome was not built in one day, and it probably wasn't built in one year either. Come to think of it, how long did it take exactly? Who knows.