A few days ago, the NHL announced the First and Second Quarter-Century Teams for the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers joined the NHL in 1979 and have an extremely rich history, including five Stanley Cup championships. However, they’ve had an up-and-down start to the 21st century. After their magical Cup run in 2006, they missed the playoffs 10 straight seasons, which was deemed the decade of darkness. They’ve finally had sustained playoff success in recent years, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Final last season. There have been many players to suit up for this organization. Some made immediate and lasting impressions, while others made the bad seasons somewhat bearable.
The NHL did a solid job with this list. However, there are a few players on the First Team that should be on the Second Team and vice versa. There were also a few names that were left off completely. In this article, we’ll dissect both teams, and who could’ve been included, but didn’t make the cut.
The entire First Team, with the exception of the goaltender, is comprised of current Oilers. The forward group includes Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
Draisaitl and McDavid were the easiest selections to make. They were drafted in back-to-back years in 2014 and 2015 and completely changed the trajectory of the franchise. McDavid is currently second all-time in points by an Oiler with 1,049 in just 690 games, while Draisaitl is fifth all-time with 926 points.
Nugent-Hopkins is seventh all-time with 731 points, but third among active players, only behind his two teammates. On top of that, Nugent-Hopkins is third all-time in games played, while enduring some painful years at the start of his career through the decade of darkness.
On defence, Evan Bouchard is a no-brainer for the First Quarter-Century Team. While he’s heavily criticized for his defensive play at times, he’s the best offensive defenceman this organization has seen since Paul Coffey in the 1980s. At only 25 years old, he’s already sixth all-time in points by an Oilers defenseman (209). He has 58 points in 53 playoff games.
The second defenseman on the Oilers’ First Team is Darnell Nurse. Nurse is fourth all-time in points by a defender (289) and third in games played (688). He’s also been heavily scrutinized, but his longevity and place on the all-time leaderboard put him on this team. However, he should be on the Second Team.
Dwayne Roloson is the obvious selection for the First Team’s goaltender. The Oilers acquired Roloson ahead of the 2006 trade deadline, and it resulted in the team’s first Stanley Cup appearance since 1990. The then 36-year-old netminder was spectacular during the 2006 Playoffs, recording a 2.33 goals-against average (GAA) and .927 save percentage (SV%). Edmonton squeaked into the playoffs that season as the eighth seed, and he’s the main reason they went as far as they did. He made a lasting impression on the organization. If he didn’t get hurt during Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Oilers were likely champions.
The forwards for the Second Team were all a part of the 2006 Cup run, while also on some of those dreadful teams during the decade of darkness. These players are household names in Oil Country, and they include Ales Hemsky, Shawn Horcoff, and Ryan Smyth. When the Oilers went on that Cup run in 2006, Hemsky was just a 22-year-old kid. However, that was his most productive season, recording 77 points in 81 games, including 17 playoff points.
Related: Oilers’ Quarter-Century Team: Forwards
Horcoff is sixth on the Oilers’ all-time games played list with 796, and he recorded 447 points during that span. He was also named the 16th captain in franchise history in 2010 and made an impact on the organization through the good times and the bad.
Smyth is arguably the most beloved Oiler in history. He’s second all-time in games played with 971, and first by a forward. He’s also ninth all-time in points with 631. He meant a lot to this city and this franchise, and could easily be on the First Quarter-Century Team.
The blue-liners on this team include Jason Smith and Mattias Ekholm. Smith wasn’t an offensively gifted player, but he played with passion and grit. He played 542 games with the franchise and was the longest-serving captain until McDavid came along. He was extremely tough and the prototypical shutdown defender. His longevity and leadership are why he deserves to be on this Second Team.
Ekholm was the piece the Oilers needed on the blue line when they acquired him at the 2023 trade deadline. Since joining Edmonton, he has 81 points in 151 games. The 34-year-old is at the tail end of his career and played his previous 719 games with the Nashville Predators. While he’s been a great addition, he hasn’t had the same longevity as Nurse or Smith and hasn’t had the same impact as someone who wasn’t even named to the Second Team, which will be discussed in the next section.
Tommy Salo was the goaltender named to this Second Team. Salo played six seasons with the Oilers, from 1999-2004. He’s had the most shutouts in franchise history (23), he’s third in games played (334), third in wins (145), and first in GAA (2.44) among qualified goalies. His numbers alone put him on this team, but a knock is his lack of playoff success. He made the playoffs four times with the club but failed to advance to the second round.
The biggest snub is undoubtedly Chris Pronger. While Pronger wasn’t in Oil Country very long, he made a lasting impression that will be talked about for generations. He registered 56 points in 80 regular-season games and added 21 points in 24 playoff games. He also scored the first-ever penalty shot goal in Stanley Cup Final history – being a defenceman makes that accomplishment even more impressive. Based on his immediate impact and the memories he created, he should’ve made the First Team, while sliding Nurse to the Second Team, replacing Ekholm.
Two goaltenders should’ve also been considered, and that’s Cam Talbot and Stuart Skinner. Talbot was extremely underrated among this fanbase. He helped Edmonton get back to the playoffs after a 10-year absence while sporting 104 regulation wins and a .912 SV%. On top of that, he also rocked a 2.48 GAA and .924 SV% in the 2017 Playoffs.
On the other hand, Skinner has received heavy criticism from the fanbase, which is a bit unfair. He’s only 26 years old and already ranks sixth all-time in wins (91) and 10th in games played (157). He’s still climbing, too. He would likely be on this team if his playoff numbers were better.
Do you agree with the NHL’s selections? Who was left off these teams that should’ve made it? Keep following The Hockey Writers for all your NHL news and rumours.
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