Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to The Oilers Rig first annual NHL Entry draft live blog! I’ll be updating this with the latest Edmonton Oilers rumors and transactions, along with other major moves around the NHL! Feel free to stick around and talk in the comments section throughout the draft!
We’ll be online until the end of round seven later on tonight. Enjoy the draft folks!
Update: 2:05 P.M. est: We are one hour away from the entry draft. Colorado will pick first, and rumor is they will draft the slick and skilled Nathan MacKinnon. The Oilers, who are on the clock at seven, have a lot of lines out there right now. Oilers and Flyers are talking about Coburn, and they might be closing in on something there.
Oilers are also in on Cal Clutterbuck, but TSN is also reporting that the San Jose Sharks are looking a deal with the Wild to bring in Cal. I also wouldn’t be shocked if Magnus Paajarvi is moved somewhere during this draft.
Lastly, rumor was Edmonton and the Jackets were talking trade on Sergei Bobrovsky. I think we can call that rumor dead for the time being.
Be back a little later. Follow the team on twitter @Alex_Thomas14, @Brendan_McLean5, @Loweded and @BigMeech_Muir
Update: 2:46 P.M. est: NHL note, the Penguins have traded Tyler Kennedy to the San Jose Sharks for the 50th overall pick in the draft. I’m assuming this takes the Sharks out of the Cal Clutterbuck sweepstakes.
On the Oilers, it is sounding like the Oilers and one other team are going after Flyers’ defender Braydon Coburn. More to come.
Update: 3:05 P.M. est: It’s show time folks. Colorado is on the clock.
Update: 3:30 P.M. est: Av’s take Nathan MacKinnon one, Alex Barkov goes two to Florida, Jonathan Drouin goes to Tampa three, and Seth Jones goes to Nashville in a total steal. Carolina, Calgary and Edmonton are the next three on the board.
Update: 3:48 P.M. est: Canes take Lindholm, Flames take Monahan. Oilers select Darnell Nurse with the 7th overall pick. Nurse is a solid defender with a lot of potential, but don’t expect him to make the roster in the coming season. This would be a longer term solution for Edmonton.
The Wild have traded Cal Clutterbuck, but have sent him to the Islanders. The Oilers lost out on Clutterbuck, so MacT is 0-for-1 in trade options. We’ll see what Edmonton does the rest of the day. They next pick at 37.
Update: 4:08 P.M. est: Devils trade the 9th overall pick to Vancouver for Corey Schneider. The Devils get their future starting goalie, and Vancouver goes out and gets a solid prospect in Bo Horvat.
Edmonton lost out on Corey, but word is the Oilers were being asked way too much for the young goalie. Part of me thinks it’s a good move for Edmonton to have not made this move. Love this deal for the Devils, and think Vancouver needed more in this spot.
Still following what is going on with the Oilers. Been all quite on their front outside of the selection of Nurse.
Update: 4:31 P.M. est: Clutterbuck to NY deal is now official. Oilers lose out there, and will need to look elsewhere for some help in their bottom six. Rumors have really slowed down with Edmonton, and most Oilers fans have to be disappointed that nothing has come out it just it. Still a lot of time left, we’ll see what happens.
Update 5:21 P.M. est: Oil Kings forward Curtis Lazar went to the Sens with their first round pick. Most figured the Oilers would jump back up and grab him, but clearly not the case.
Way too quiet on the Oilers front, and it’s tough to think Tambellini even left the team…All kidding aside, I think the prime spot for a trade is the second round. We’ll have to see. More as it happens.
Update: 6:07 P.M. est: Round one is all over. Round two about to begin. Oilers GM Craig MacTavish and Flyers GM Paul Holmgren have had a lot of talks, and Holmgren was seen at the Oilers table for a lengthy conversation. We’ll see if anything comes of it. Oilers pick at 37 next. More to come quickly.
Update: 6:30 P.M. est: The Oilers have made a trade….just not the one anyone was hoping for. The Oilers have traded the 37th overall pick to the LA Kings for the 57th, 88th and 96th overall picks. Not exactly Craig MacTavish’s BOLD moves, but it does give Edmonton two extra picks.
The Oilers will select 56th and 57th overall here in round two. More as it happens.
Update: 7:17 P.M. EST: The Oilers draft Marc-Olivier Roy from the QMJHL with the 56th overall pick. A skilled player and a solid player.
The Oilers then traded the 57th overall pick to the Blues for the 83rd, 94th and 113th overall picks. Many, including myself, thought Edmonton would be making a deal for Coburn here. Clearly not the case.
The Oilers and Flyers are still talking, but Craig MacTavish clearly looks frustrated right now. More as it happens.
Update: 7:47 P.M. est: Don’t expect Edmonton to come away with any NHL additions today. No doubt a disappointing day. Not exactly the ‘bold’ moves Oilers fans were hoping for. Free agency gets under way on Friday, and the Oilers desperately need to make moves. More to come….
Update: 7:53 P.M. est: The Oilers select Bogdan Yakimov 83rd overall, a six foot five center with some real skill and potential. He does have some skating issues, but with his size and ability this could be a good pick for the Oilers moving forward.
Update: 8:00 P.M. est: The Oilers snag Russian left winger Anton Slepyshev from Ufa. He’s a solid and hardworking player with solid two-way ability. A lot of people believe that if he does in fact come to North America, he could be steal. The only problem is, that appears to be a big if.
On the rumor front, it appears that the potential Oilers/Flyers deal for Coburn is dead. More on this as it comes in….
Update: 8:05 P.M. est: The Oilers have selected forward Jackson Houck from Vancouver. He had 57 points in 69 games this season, and plays right wing. That was the 94th overall pick. Oilers going all skill, just like MacT said they would.
Update: 8:07 P.M. est: The Oilers were up again with the 96th overall pick, and they selected center Kyle Platzer from the London Knights. He was on a really good team, and some beleive his numbers struggled because of that. Had 22 points in 65 games this past season.
Update: 8:25 P.M. est: The Oilers have selected left-winger Aidan Muir from Detroit Midget AAA. He is 6 foot three and will be attending Western Michigan under former NHL coach Andy Murray.
Update: 8:30 P.M. est: Oilers insider Bob Stauffer is reporting that Western Michigan defender Kenny Morrison will most likely attend the Oilers development camp later this week.
Update: 10:39 P.M. est: Well, that’s it folks. The Oilers close out their day without adding any immediate NHL help, and that has to be a disappointment for GM Craig MacTavish and Oilers fans alike.
The Oilers finished off the draft by selecting Evan Campbell of the BCHL’s Langley Rivermen (Left Winger) in the fifth round. Campbell will play for the UMass Lowell Riverhawks next season. Edmonton also selected defender Ben Betker with the 158th overall pick, and forward Greg Chase with the 188th overall pick.
Oilers development camp opens up this week as well, so we’ll get to see most of these picks up close and personal.
That concludes today’s live blog! We’ll be back on Friday with an Edmonton Oilers Free Agent Frenzy live blog. Follow up on twitter @Alex_Thomas14 in the meantime. Thanks for reading folks!
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