Connor McDavid Winner

[GordonH]

Edmonton Oilers have won #1 draft pick, Wow.

Before they screw this player up, get rid of Lowe.

[Auto1]

AGREED, GordonH!

I was shocked. SHOCKED!

Is this the year Edmonton finally "rebuilds"?

(Poor Connor. He looked sad.)

[GordonH]

Of course Oilers could use it for huge trade, for big name defenceman & goalie. Okay, thats doubtful.

[Auto1]

Do the Oilers build a team around Connor? Or do they trade him?

I don't think he looked happy. It almost looked like he wanted to cry. When he was walking down the hallway he looked forlorn.

And in his interview he didn't seem thrilled either.

Poor kid. He seems like he was forcing out 'good' things, but wanted a blanket and a hug.

[GordonH]

^^^ I don't blame him, look at how many #1 drafts are in Edmonton going nowhere. Its like a #1 draft graveyard.

[FreeRights]

I'm absolutely stoked! Since changing coaches, everyone's improved considerably. Under Dallas, it was a draft pick graveyard.

I like this because we can trade one of our other draft picks, and our second first round pick and obtain a good goaltender and a solid defenseman. I wouldn't suggest that the Oilers will win the Cup next season, but at least we're going in the right direction.

[jaz301]

Sad news today as Connor MC David's NHL career has come to an end before it even started as Edmonton Oilers have won the first round draft pick. ‪#‎RIPMcDavidsNHLcareer‬

[JayByrd]

FreeRights, I admire your loyalty in referring to the Oilers as "us" and not "them". I also admire your optimism that yet another coaching change is the answer. I am more skeptical than you are, but time will tell.

It'll be really interesting to see how much of this group of young forwards stays together. Someone like Nail Yakupov has a real good reason to look over his shoulder now...

[Thinktank]

Edmonton is a small market team in a country with a garbage Canadian dollar - that is always losing lately.
It's an industrial oil city with nothing nearby except oil and farms.

If he went to Toronto at last he would be in the most valuable hockey franchise on earth in a HUGE market.
(biggest on earth?)
Arizona - at least he'd be in a place with warm winters.

Anyway if he's as good as they say he is - he'll be gone from Edmonton soon.

[Thinktank]

they traded Gretzky away for the benefit of the NHL.

They'll trade this guy away too for the benefit of Bettman.

[FreeRights]

Edmonton is a small market team in a country with a garbage Canadian dollar - that is always losing lately.
It's an industrial oil city with nothing nearby except oil and farms.

If he went to Toronto at last he would be in the most valuable hockey franchise on earth in a HUGE market.
(biggest on earth?)
Arizona - at least he'd be in a place with warm winters.

Anyway if he's as good as they say he is - he'll be gone from Edmonton soon.

Actually, Edmonton has one of the best fan bases in the NHL. As crap as they have been.

[Danielson99]

You guys need to rethink things a bit, you're not thinking straight. First of all, Connor knew he was going to either Buffalo, Edmonton or Pheonix, he wouldn't have been smiling regardless of who drafted him but yet some of you have this fascination that he was somehow upset...even though he knew for weeks leading up to the draft that he would be going to a lousy team.

Second. Get over your fascination with #1 draft picks. Gordon, you think #1 picks are destined to failure in Edmonton but yet there have been dozens of #1 picks gone to other teams that failed just as miserably. How well they do has NOTHING to do with being drafted by Edmonton. Let me throw a few names by you guys just to give you an idea of how many horrible #1 overall picks there have been in recent history. Erik Johnson, Rick Dipietro, Patrick Stefan, Chris Philips, Bryan Berard, Alexander Daigle, Erik Lindros and the list goes on and on through history. Some of these guys were drafted by great teams but went nowhere. If you ask me, Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall are both excellent players and will become far better once they get to play with Connor.

Lets not forget people, Edmonton has made more superhero hockey stars and hall of fame players than anybody else since the 80's. Edmonton has had way more than it's share of success but you guys sound like it's an abyss where players simply fade into obscurity. Let me also remind you that Vancouver was that VERY SAME abyss where players came to rot in failure until they retired or got traded.

The Islanders were the worst team on this planet for many many years, not anymore. The same can be said about most teams, they all go through cycles. You guys can hate on the Oilers all you want but thinking that for some reason hockey players being drafted there are cursed or horrible or destined to obscurity is just being silly. Foolish people said the same thing about the Canucks players...but their time finally came around...and so will Edmontons.

[GordonH]

^^^ Its not #1 picks fault Edmonton sucks, management continues to not get good support players i.e no defence & no goalie. (Edmonton forwards are doing what they can, without that support) Having another high scoring forward will not change the fact other teams will still be able score at will.
No team in league wins without good to very good backend.

Added: Edmonton has not qualify for post season since going to finals against Carolina. That tells me something is seriously broken in that organization.

[alfred2]

canucks have never won the cup, that tells me there is something wrong in that organization.

[mexi cali]

It goes to show that talent and skill are not the most important traits when it comes to winning. Edmonton boasts some of the best players in the league but winning they are not.

A solid infrastructure, stable and experienced coaching, solid hockey environment and HEART/DESIRE matter.

Vancouver has some talented players but they have NO HEART. That to me is and has been their problem for years.

Think wayyyyyyyy back to 89 when the Flames won it all. Look at the team and the players they had. Loob was skilled , Fleury, Macinnes but the heart and soul of the tem won it for them. Mcdonald, Gilmour, Peplinski, Otto, Roberts, Suter. Guys who left it all on the ice every game and teams were afraid of them.

No one fears the Canucks.

The Oilers on paper (except for their goal tenders) should be top 5 but let's see.

Great hockey town though and Connor should shine.