Meet the All-Star lineup for the first quarter of the 21st century Edmonton Oilers

The year 2024 has come and (almost) gone and we are almost a quarter way through the 21st century. We have lived through multiple generations of cell phones, the rise of social media and of course, continued evolution in the game of hockey. In addition to this, the Edmonton Oilers’ faithful have been through some ups and downs with their team and have truly witnessed generations of players come and go. From Ryan Smyth and Radek Dvorak to Andrew Cogliano and Connor McDavid, the Oilers’ roster has gone from being at the bottom of the league standings to finishing as the Stanley Cup Final runner-ups—twice.

As we look back on the last 24 years of Oilers teams, which players would we include into the quarter century starting lineup? Let’s discuss below!

Centre: Connor McDavid

It would be absolutely egregious to start this article without talking about the best player in the world right now, the best player of his generation and one of the best players the hockey world will ever see. From his dazzling plays with the puck to his lightning fast speed, Connor McDavid has been an absolute treat to watch. There can simply be absolutely no one else to put at the centre forward spot other than the Oilers captain.

Honourable mentions:

1. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: Drafted as the second of three consecutive first overall draft picks, “Nuge” as he is affectionately called, has gone on to have a solid career for the Oilers. Before arrival of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins would find himself centering the top line made up of him, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Eberle. Sure, they may not have had great season results as the team’s top forward group, but they certainly stuck it out through some difficult times. Nugent-Hopkins is a smart and coachable player who can be relied upon on a nightly basis.
2. Doug Weight: while he played most of his career in the Copper and Blue in the 1990s, Weight’s last season for Edmonton came in 2000–01. He may not have been the flashiest player or a generational talent, but Doug Weight certainly knew how to make a play and lead by example. A captain for the Oilers, and later for the New York Islanders, Weight was responsible for helping to transition the Oilers’ into a playoff franchise following the end of the Gretzky/Messier era.
3. Shawn Horcoff: Horcoff was a member of some of the biggest ups and down that the Oilers’ franchise had seen. He served as a centre on the Oilers’ Stanley Cup Run of 2006 while also seeing the team through some of its’ tough times during the Decade of Darkness. A captain for a portion of his tenure, Horcoff was one of the more consistent players on the team that at times did not have a lot to brag about.

Left wing: Leon Draisaitl

The only reason we did not include Leon Draisaitl in the honourable mentions under the centre heading is because he absolutely deserves a starting spot of his own. Draisaitl is another incredible talent on the current Oilers roster. Just like McDavid, Draisaitl is one of the best players in the world right now and certainly one of the best players of his generation. With so much attention on Connor McDavid, Draisaitl has quietly gone on to have one of the best careers of his generation as he had recently crossed the 900th point plateau and is having a season that has his name in consideration for some personal silverware. A lethal shooter, phenomenal playmaker, and a player with hockey IQ that is second to none, Draisaitl is truly a one of a kind player who is difficult to get off the puck.

Honourable mentions:

1. Taylor Hall: Drafted first overall in 2010, expectations were high for Hall to come in and turn the fortunes of the franchise around. Hall would play in Edmonton for the better part of 2010s and become one of its’ consistent offensive players. Unfortunately for him, Hall would never see himself play in the playoffs as a member of the Oilers as he was traded to the New Jersey Devils prior to the 2016–17 season. Fortunately for Hall, he would go on to have a great individual tenure with the Devils where he won the Hart Memorial Trophy.
2. Ryan Smyth: Beloved member of the Oilers, Smyth was a phenomenal power-forward who knew how to be in the right place at the right time. He may not have been the most skillful player with the hockey stick, but he certainly wore his heart on his sleeve, played with grit, and represented Edmonton unlike no one else. Smyth continues to be held in high regards as one of the best Oilers players of all time.
3. Zach Hyman: Playing with top superstar talent is no easy feat and Zach Hyman has done an incredible job playing with Connor McDavid. A 50-plus goal scorer last season, Hyman knows how to be where McDavid and his team needs him. He has continued to elevate his game season after season since joining Edmonton and after finding himself in an early season slump, he has rebounded with a torrid pace of 10 goals in 9 games.

Right wing: Ales Hemsky

Since the 2000s, Oilers’ overall depth on right wing as compared to centre or left-wing position has been noticeably thin. However, they still managed to have some top end talent. Among these was one of the most talented players’ of the 2000s, Ales Hemsky. Hemsky was a talented playmaker and would often find himself on the top forward line and power play unit. Hemsky had a number of injuries throughout his career that have limited his playing time and had it not been for them, Hemsky’s career would have likely had an even higher trajectory.

Honourable mentions:

1. Jordan Eberle: With the World Juniors tournament upon us, it is fitting that we include one of the most clutch players from Team Canada’s juniors history on this list. Jordan Eberle was a member of the Oilers team through much of the Decade of Darkness and unlike Hall, he was able to see the fruits of his patience as he played in his first playoff run during the 2016–17 season. A word we had used a lot throughout this list is “consistency” and Eberle was certainly an example of this. A skilled right wing forward, Eberle’s speed and stick-handling was truly fun to watch.
2. Dustin Penner: After winning the Stanley Cup with Anaheim Ducks in 2007, Penner joined the Oilers as a restricted free agent signed to an offer sheet which has certainly produced some sound bites from then Ducks GM Brian Burke. Penner went on to have respectable three and a half seasons in Edmonton before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings, the haul from which would include a first-round pick used to select Oscar Klefbom. On a team that finished last in the league in the 2009–10 season, Dustin Penner was still able to put up a respectable 32 goals and 31 assists for a team-high 63 points.
3. Fernando Pisani: A local Edmonton product, Fernando Pisani will forever be remembered for becoming an unlikely hero during the Oilers’ Stanley Cup Run of 2006 when he scored 14 goals in 24 games on the way to a Game 7 loss to Carolina Hurricanes. Pisani may not have been a first line forward during his time but he was an example of consistent secondary production and was one of the smartest penalty kill players during his time with the franchise. While injuries may have significantly limited his playing career, he will always be remembered fondly for his time in Edmonton.

Defencemen: Evan Bouchard and Chris Pronger

Can you imagine if this duo had a chance to share the ice with each other? In their primes? Evan Bouchard is the Oilers’ defenceman of the future and he has continued to take the next steps in his game. His offensive contributions, including the “Bouch-bomb”, as the team’s top power play defenceman are among the best in the league while he defensive skillset is continuing to get even better. What’s missing from Bouchard’s game? Physicality and that is exactly what a player of Chris Pronger’s caliber could bring. Pronger was certainly a gifted offensive and defensive defenceman, arguably one of the best defencemen of his generation. However, his ability to lay a hit and make a physical play is second to none and any forward would tell you that they would think twice and keep their head up with Pronger around.

Together, this duo would be an absolute scoring machine while giving any top line in the league a headache and a challenge on a nightly basis.

Honourable mentions:

1. Oscar Klefbom: Before the Edmonton faithful were yelling for a “Bouch-bomb”, there was the “Klef-bomb.” Klefbom was drafted with the hopes of becoming the Oilers’ defenceman of the future. Unfortunately for Klefbom, the Oilers’ fans never got to see his full potential as injuries ravaged through his playing time. Despite this, Klefbom did show how good he could really be. This came in the 2016–17 season, when he was able to play his only full 82-game season and joined Edmonton as they snapped the Decade of Darkness playoff drought. He scored Edmonton’s first playoff goal in 11 years.
2. Mattias Ekholm: While a lot of the previous players on the list were drafted by the franchise, Ekholm was acquired in a trade from Nashville Predators. Since coming over to the Oilers, Ekholm has provided the defensive stability that the team often lacked. He is a true shut down defenceman who has been instrumental in helping his nightly partner, Evan Bouchard, continue to grow his game.
3. Jason Smith: A true leader in the locker room, Smith was instrumental to the consistency of the early to mid 2000s Oilers franchise. He may not have been as offensively gifted as some of the other names on this list, but he was certainly a stand-up teammate who was not afraid to drop the mitts or play gritty brand of hockey and lead by example.

Goaltender: Stuart Skinner

Picking the starting goaltender was a tough one for me.

Another Edmonton product, Stuart Skinner used to watch another name on this list, Dwayne Roloson, before finding himself as the starter of the Oilers. Skinner was thrust into the starter role following the end of Mike Smith’s tenure with the Oilers and Jack Campbell’s difficulty in living up to his contract. He has certainly had his fair share of criticism throughout his early tenure as Edmonton’s starter due to inconsistent play, but there is no doubt that Skinner has continued to grow his skillset and has showed his potential during last year’s playoff run where he played some of the most clutch hockey. Time will tell what his potential will be but given what we have seen, the future is bright for Stuart Skinner.

Honourable mentions:

1. Tommy Salo: Salo was a consistent presence in the Edmonton crease. He was a true work horse when he played 73 games in the 2000–01 season while maintaining a Goals Against Average (GAA) of 2.46. He was a part of the Oilers teams that would face a tough Dallas Stars in a number of consecutive first-round appearances, unfortunately falling in each of these series. Salo retired shortly after being traded out of Edmonton due to injuries but his time spent in an Edmonton uniform is certainly highly regarded.
2. Dwayne Roloson: Traded from a crowded Minnesota crease in the 2005–06 season, Roloson became the starting goalie for a franchise rotating between the likes of Mike Morrison, Jussi Markkanen, and Ty Conklin. His solid play helped to take Edmonton on the 2006 Stanley Cup Run where he was injured in the first game of Stanley Cup Final. Roloson would don the Oilers’ uniform for the better part of the rest of the decade, taking on most of the share of the goaltending duties in the next three seasons and playing high skilled hockey despite questionable defence at best.
3. Devan Dubnyk: Unfortunately for Edmonton, it took Dubnyk leaving the Oilers franchise before becoming an All-Star goaltender with the Minnesota Wild. His time with Edmonton was mired with poor defensive play in front of him and competition with netminders like Nikolai Khabibulin, Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, and Ilya Bryzgalov. Despite this, he was still able to put up numbers like GAA of 2.57 and Save Percentage of 0.921 on a team that finished 24th out of 30th during a lockout-shortened 2012–13 season.

Who would you include into your starting line-up? Let us know in the comment section below!

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Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire