Should the Oilers' scouting staff be replaced after missing the steal of the draft?

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Ryan Hall
September 13, 2023 (0:08)

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For all NHL organizations, drafting is one of the keys to building a team properly. In the past, some teams, like the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers, felt that money was the way to solve the problem and that they could buy their talent rather than draft.

Others depend solely on the draft, such as the Colorado Avalanche and the Carolina Hurricanes, where they hold a surplus of draft picks and players to help control costs as players mature and develop into stars.

The key to any good NHL organization is a strong scouting staff. Their job is to watch for players in other organizations and minor leagues and to inform their general managers about who they like and whether they could fit their mould.

It seems that recently, the Oilers, minus all the first-round draft picks they had, have missed several key players who could have made an impact on the team, opting for others who have been questioned.

Of course, no one has a crystal ball to say whether a player is a genuine gem, even though in the 2020s, with all the technology and fitness advancements, many players who have been pegged in certain spots usually turn out to be what they are.

For example, Wyatt Johnson, who plays for the Dallas Stars, scored 24 goals last year and will be a fixture on their team going forward. Xavier Bourgault is the same age and was in the same draft year but has yet to crack the lineup in Edmonton, with both teams competing for the Stanley Cup.

With Jeff Jackson now running the team as the CEO, and hopefully, changes will be brought to the scouting staff, the Oilers will begin to hit on those later draft picks more often, helping the team round out their roster.