Edmonton Oilers All Time Team: Left Wing

Continuing this week with the Edmonton Oilers final season at Rexall Place, I was originally going to do the entire forward group in one chunk.

However, I realized, that’s a lot of stuff being thrown into one post. Rather, I am dividing up the forward positions. Today, I am focusing on the Left Wing of the Edmonton Oilers.

You can see the Goaltenders here and my defensemen here

Again, same rules apply to before: I’m choosing Edmonton Oiler players based solely on their impact to the team and their performance.

1. Ryan Smyth

The top left winger was an easy choice in number 94, Ryan Smyth. Ryan Smyth was the fan favorite from the late 90s to his trade in 2007. Smyth embodided everything that the Edmonton Oilers fan base desires: gritty, tough, and wearing his heart on the sleeve. Smyth was the face of the franchise’s blue collar gang. Drafted 6th overall in 1994 (two spots after draft bust Jason Bonsignore), Smyth would be a main stay for the Edmonton Oilers. Smyth scored a career high 39 goals in 1996-97 and had a career high 70 points in 2000-01. Smyth was eventually traded on the trade deadline in 2007, where he tearfully said goodbye to Edmonton as he moved to the New York Islanders. A UFA in the summer of 2007, Smyth signed a five year contract with the Colorado Avalanche, but was later traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 2009. After two seasons with the Kings, Smyth requested a trade back to Edmonton where he finished his career where he started: in the blue and orange of the Edmonton Oilers. Ryan Smyth is currently the all time scoring left wing for the Oilers, with 631 points in 971 games (where he’s behind only Kevin Lowe in Games Played).

2. Craig Simpson

When Compiling this list for Left Wing, I actually forgot about Craig Simpson. Mind you, he did play before I was born and I really never got to see Craig Simpson play hockey as he retired after 95-96 and that was when I just started to get into hockey. That said, looking at what Simpson did as an Oiler, I’d say he’s a bit underrated. He was acquired for Paul Coffey back in 1987 and would play six solid seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, where he had his best seasons. Mid way through his first season as an Oiler he put up a career high 43 goals with the Oilers for 56 total goals and would have a career high 76 points the following season. He would be part of the Oilers cup winning teams in 1988 and 1990. He would later play for the Sabres but was forced to retire early due to a severe back injury.

3. Taylor Hall

Hey look! It’s the first current Edmonton Oiler to make the all time team, which is not an easy feat considering how woeful the Edmonton Oilers are today. However, when it comes to Left Wingers, Taylor Hall deserves to be on the list. Drafted first overall in 2010, Taylor Hall has been slowly rising to become one of the most elite point producers in the NHL. Combined with a blazing speed and a now reformed recklessness to the net, Taylor Hall was the First 1st overall pick taken by the Edmonton Oilers. In five years with the Oilers, Hall has produced 316 points in 362 games. In today’s game, there is only two other left wingers I would take over Taylor Hall: Jamie Benn and Alex Ovechkin. Hall has hit 27 goals twice in his career and had a career high 80 points in 75 games back in 2013-2014.

4. Esa Tikanen

One of the game’s ultimate pests, Left Wing Esa Tikkanen could get under a player’s skin with little effort. Infamously known for butchering the English Language, Tikkanen was a mid round pick that supplemented the dynasty Oilers of the 1980s. Tikkanen would play 8 seasons with the Blue and Orange, winning three Stanley Cups with the team. You could easily switch Tikkanen with Hall as Tikkanen is currently ranked higher than Hall in all time points, with 436 points in 522 games played with the Oilers. Tikkanen’s finest moment with the Oilers was the overtime winner that eliminated the Calgary Flames in the last battle of Alberta back in 1991. Tikkanen would later play with the Rangers (where he won another cup and was traded for Doug Weight), St Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals and the Florida Panthers.

Honorable Mentions:

Some honorable mentions for left wing include Mark Krushlynski, Adam Graves (shame he only played two seasons with the Oilers!), Shayne Corson (kidding, worst Oiler Captain in Oilers history), Georges Laraque and the most notable omission is Dave Semenko.

Semenko gets a special piece because he was the enforcer for the Oilers hey day. He rode shot gun to Wayne Gretzky and was part of the team’s first two Stanley Cup teams. There can be a decent argument made for Semenko, no doubt. However, when looking at point production, it is mainly where Semenko fell. He just did not produce as much as the other players. Yet, you can easily say that was not his role on the team and that’s fair to say.