Jujhar Khaira And The Oilers’ System

The Oilers website ran a pretty good piece on Saturday about Jujhar Khaira and his first NHL stint, saying it was a really good sign for the Oilers’ developmental system. That system has fallen under heavy criticism the last few years due to Edmonton’s lack of progress in the standings.

The group has failed to produce anything of substance for the Oilers, leaving their top picks hung out to dry year in and year out. Is the team’s website right, is it starting to change?

I’m not going to include Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov or Connor McDavid here, mainly because they were never developed by the system. They went straight from the NHL draft to the NHL roster, no time needed in the system.

Older Development:

We have to count Jordan Eberle as a developed player for the Edmonton Oilers, same with Anton Lander. Eberle was picked late in the first round of the 2008 draft and played the following two seasons in junior with some AHL time at the end of each year. After those two seasons, he made the NHL. Edmonton brought him along slowly, developed him, and it worked.

Lander was drafted in the second round in 2009 and played in Sweden the following two seasons. He also saw substantial time in the AHL and finally emerged as a player in the NHL last year, about five years after his drafting. While he has struggled to start this season, he’s still an NHL’er and was developed in Edmonton.

Jeff Petry and Devan Dubnyk, both no longer in Edmonton, are also positive examples from this system.

The New Cluster:

The Oilers are starting to develop even more talent now. D Oscar Klefbom was drafted in the first round in 2011, spending the next two seasons in Sweden. After some AHL time in each of his first two seasons, Klefbom has emerged as a real top-four defender in the NHL and is arguably Edmonton’s top dog on the back-end.

Darnell Nurse also was developed for two seasons in juniors and played in a handful of games in the AHL over a span of three years. Now, he has emerged in the NHL and is starting to nail down a top-four spot on the Oilers roster. Same with Brandon Davidson, picked in the 6th round of the 2010 draft. Davidson finished his junior career and then played three years of AHL hockey before making the team this year and emerging as a legit NHL player.

That is three defenders developed by the Oilers system, two of which are top-four guys and one of which is a solid third pairing guy.

Up front, pieces are joining the fray too. Jujhar Khaira has emerged in the NHL during his first stint and he is looking like a player who could be a bottom-six presence moving forward.

Anton Slepyshev was terrific in camp, and the former 3rd round pick is currently developing in the AHL. He’s got an NHL career ahead of him methinks. Same with Bogdan Yakimov, another 2013 3rd round pick who is in his second AHL season and looks promising as a player. He’s got NHL pivot written all over him, likely on the 3rd line.

Edmonton’s careful development in juniors with Kyle Platzer and Greg Chase has paid off too. Both of these players have had solid pro debuts and are on pace to potentially be NHL’ers in two or three seasons.

Final Thoughts:

Edmonton whiffed badly in 2009 and 2010 at the draft. Magnus Paajarvi wasn’t what they thought and outside of Hall and Davidson, 2010 was a complete disaster, especially in the second round. That said, Edmonton is starting to develop some real talent and we are seeing it push through.

Nurse and Klefbom have developed into the team’s top-four and continue to grow while Davidson has went from 6th round long-shot to legit NHL player. Khaira, Chase, Platzer, Yakimov and Slepyshev are all knocking at the door up front, with three of the six mentioned having already seen NHL time.

Let’s not forget about David Musil and Dillon Simpson on the back-end, both knocking on the door after being developed on the farm. Oh, and that Brossoit kid in net isn’t half bad either after being developed in the system.

Edmonton’s system has not helped out the last five seasons, but it’s starting to pick up the slack. Two of Edmonton’s best defenders came from it and a cast of other players are knocking on the door. It’s good news for the Oilers, because their dynamic core is about to get some help from within. That alone should help the Oilers get better.

Yes, Khaira’s emergence is great sign for the prospect system. It’s another sign of life. I have a feeling it’s just the start too.