Holding All the Cards

Photo by Terry Wilson/OHL Images

The NHL Draft Lottery was held yesterday, and it ended in slight disappointment for the Buffalo Sabres, as the Edmonton Oilers won the lottery and are now in the driver's seat for picking Connor McDavid.  Now, the question is what moves will the Oilers make before the Draft to either draft McDavid or trade down to pick up a much needed defenseman.  Well, let's look at all the possible moves the Oilers can and probably should make in the days leading up to the Draft.

Trade down.

• The Oilers need a top defenseman and in this draft, that is Noah Hanifin of Boston College.  However, I cannot see the Oilers passing up on McDavid at number one to get a defenseman, even one of Hanifin's caliber.  Therefore, the Oilers should look at trading down in the Draft.
• Buffalo has two first round picks, and though they won't miss out too much if they stay put at number two, the temptation is for them to swap picks plus the extra first round pick and ensure they get McDavid.
• Toronto needs a lot of help everywhere, and though they are in good position to get Dylan Strome (McDavid's teammate in Erie), they could also go for Hanifin (if he's still available by the time the Leafs pick at number four).
• The Winnipeg Jets also have an extra first round pick thanks to a trade with Buffalo, and given their success this season, the Jets may think about striking while the iron is hot.  However, the Jets rarely make big splashes and prefer to build from within.

Trade some of their players

• Because the Oilers have the first overall pick and need a defenseman, it is possible they could trade one or two of their forwards to pick up either a veteran defenseman or a higher end prospect.
• Their center depth could potentially consist of McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Leon Draisaitl, meaning that one of those three will be centering a third line, and it's hard to imagine the Oilers putting McDavid on the third line.
• Of the forwards the Oilers could trade, Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, and Nugent-Hopkins could fetch the best returns.  However, none of the three are without question marks, as Eberle has questions about size, Hall has issues with durability, and Nugent-Hopkins has questions of whether he is a true number one center.  Of the three, McDavid is most similar to Nugent-Hopkins in terms of size, meaning average by NHL standards.
• While someone like Drew Doughty is out of their price range, it is possible the Oilers could be like the Islanders last off-season and look for teams that need to get under the salary cap and look to unload someone like a Nick Leddy or Johnny Boychuk.  Philadelphia is one team they could look at, given they are perpetually at or around the cap.
• Teams deep in defensemen are another possibility, and teams like Pittsburgh and Anaheim could be given looks.

Keep the pick.

• It's almost impossible for the Oilers to keep the pick and not go with McDavid, particularly given the hype around him.  If the Oilers do this, they must find a way to build around him and somehow get it to work, the latter being far easier said than done.