The Edmonton Oilers finished the 2018-19 season with a 35-38-9 record, ranked 7th in the Pacific Division, and earned the 8th overall draft selection in what seemed to be a relatively strong draft class. They were looking to build around their main pieces, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, to become contenders heading into the 2019-20 season. While there is no way to predict a prospect’s future, some players in that draft should have been no-brainers for the Oilers to select.
Related: Oilers: 3 Teams That Could Acquire Philip Broberg
Aside from Jack Hughes and Kappo Kakko, who were the obvious first two draft selections, the rest of the draft board was a toss-up. With seven studs picked before the Oilers reached the podium, they still had a few names on the board who could have helped change the dynamic of their roster. They selected Philip Broberg, a Swedish defenseman who, as of today, is the seventh defenseman on the Oilers’ depth chart.
Many fans were confused by the pick but understood the team needed defensive help. Unfortunately, that doesn’t outweigh the fact that the team could have drafted a superstar with that pick. Here are some of the players the Oilers could have selected.
Trevor Zegras – Anaheim Ducks (9th Overall)
With the 9th overall selection in the 2019 Draft, the Anaheim Ducks selected forward Trevor Zegras from the USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (NTDP). With the U18 team during the 2018-19 season, he put up 26 goals and 61 assists through 60 games. In the 2019-20 season, after he was drafted, he played for Boston University in the NCAA, where he scored 11 goals and 36 points through 36 games in his first and only season with the team. He also represented the USA at the World Junior Championships (WJC) that season, putting up nine assists through five games.
In his first professional season in 2020-21, he split his time between the Ducks and their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate San Diego Gulls. With the Gulls, he scored 10 goals and 21 points through 17 games. With the Ducks, he scored three goals and 13 points through 24 games. He again represented the US at the WJC, scoring seven goals and 18 points through seven games.
Zegras broke out in his first full season in the NHL in 2021-22, scoring 23 goals and 61 points through 75 games. Last season, he scored 23 goals and 42 assists through 81 games. He has quickly become the face of the Ducks’ franchise and is poised for an even better season in 2023-24.
Matthew Boldy – Minnesota Wild (12th Overall)
Matthew Boldy was drafted by the Minnesota Wild with the 12th overall selection. He was the player I hoped the Oilers would select eighth overall. The Wild took him four selections later after a strong season in the NTDP with the USA Hockey U18 team where he scored 33 goals and 81 points through 64 games as the team’s assistant captain. He also played on the USA’s U18 team at the WJC, scoring three goals and 12 points through seven games.
After he was drafted, he joined Boston College in the NCAA where he scored 20 goals and 37 assists in 56 games over two seasons. He established himself as a lethal offensive weapon who flourishes with the right linemates and could be a game-changer alongside Wild superstar, Kirill Kaprizov.
Boldy officially joined the Wild in 2021-22, scoring 15 goals and 39 points through 47 games in his rookie season. He followed that up with 31 goals and 32 assists through 81 games last season. At only 22 years old, it’s scary to think how much better he might get playing on a star-studded Wild squad.
Cole Caufield – Montreal Canadiens (15th Overall)
With the 15th overall selection in 2019, the Montreal Canadiens selected American-born forward Cole Caufield after a stellar season in the NTDP with the U18 team where he scored an astonishing 72 goals and 100 points through 64 games and 14 goals and 18 points in the U18 WJC. He joined the University of Wisconsin of the NCAA the following season.
Over the next two seasons, Caufield scored 49 goals and 88 points through 67 games, for a 1.31 points-per-game average. His offensive skill was on display and he managed to translate it to the professional level.
Since joining the Habs, Caufield has continued to produce at an elite level. He has scored 53 goals and 31 assists for 84 points through 123 games, for a 0.68 points-per-game average. Montreal snagged him seven picks after the Oilers selected Broberg, and Caufield will be with the Canadiens for many years to come.
Broberg vs. The Rest
It’s still early in Broberg’s career, and he has been a sound depth defenseman for the Oilers. Most fans have no complaints about his role. However, Edmonton could have had one of these three star-studded forwards and completely changed the landscape of the team. Yes, it’s impossible to predict how a young player’s career will turn out, but it seemed foolish not to take one of these players at the time, and even worse in retrospect.
The Oilers didn’t need to take a defenseman with the 8th overall selection, as the defense prospects weren’t stellar in that draft. But even so, there were a couple of better options on defense, like Cam York, who was selected 14th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers, and Victor Söderström, who was selected 11th overall by the Arizona Coyotes. The point is, there were plenty of better players who have had or will have, more of an impact on their team in the future, regardless of their position.
Broberg is very skilled, but he just doesn’t fit within the Oilers’ system. He has yet to solidify a spot in the top four or even as a regular in the lineup. The team was expecting a bit more for a player selected in the top ten. Imagine how dangerous the Oilers’ offense would be with Boldy, Zegras, or Caufield in the top six heading into the 2023-24 season.