Whether they trade up, down, or stand pat, the Oilers need to get a new face of the franchise or at least a co-face of the future of the franchise in this draft. Outside of Sam Gagner and his rave reviews from his then soon to be head coach Craig MacTavish prior to his making the team, the Oilers haven't had anyone else step in as an 18 year old in years despite the fact that with the new rules, the game seems much more teen friendly than it was just 5-10 years ago.
Gagner was a 6th overall pick, and while he was far from seen as a lock to make that team by most, he did. What we need is our version of Getzlaf, Carter, Kopitar, etc. A guy that can be seen as a future carrier of the mail.
The Oilers IMO really can't afford to keep waiting to get this kind of a player via the trade or free agent route. The best way to develop and keep a superstar is to draft one. IMO this is the Prendergast era's signature draft, in theory this team is looking at improving to the point of being playoff bound. If they get there, they won't be in this draft range again for some time.
Gagner was a good choice at #6, now we need another top 10 talent to come through and join Gagner as the teams foundation for future success. Anything short of landing an impact prospect this draft, then quite frankly the scouting department needs to be overhauled. Hopefully Tambo can get Team Prendergast into a position to solidify the foundation of this team for years to come.
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