Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

If The Edmonton Oilers Hit The Lottery Again Tomorrow Night

04/29/2016 at 7:19pm EDT

from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal,

Do they really need another centre in Auston Matthews?

Do they need Matthews to saddle up with their other three young horses up the middle in Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins?

They’d have to shop the No. 1 pick, right? Or would they take Matthews and try to move King Leon instead for a ready-made defenceman?

Teams are calling more on Draisaitl than Nugent-Hopkins because he’s bigger.

There are other draft scenarios in play, of course.

There are three separate lotteries Saturday and the Oilers could get the No. 2 pick or the No. 3 and still take the left-shooting right-winger Patrik Laine, who is like the Finnish Flash Teemu Selanne only bigger at No. 2, or fellow Finnish winger Jesse Puljujarvi, who is more like an all-round Jari Kurri type at No.3 and be perfectly happy to keep either of those choices because they can play immediately, and either could play with McDavid.

The Oilers are the one team that could take Laine first overall and play him with McDavid and still have Draisaitl at centre, but Matthews would get them that sorely needed defenceman in a trade.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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