Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on Ask An Oiler

2011 NHL Entry Draft Rounds 2 - 7 LIVE Video Feed

EDMONTON OILERS SELECT:

#1 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (center)

#19 Oscar Klefbom (defence)

#31 David Musil (defence)

#63 Samu Perhonen (goalie)

#74 Travis Ewanyk (left wing)

#92 Dillon Simpson (defence)

#114 Tobais Rieder (center)

#122 Martin Gernat (defence)

#182 Frans Tuohimma (goalie)

The Edmonton Oilers Select Ryan Nugent-Hopkins! / The 2011 NHL Entry Draft

WooOooOooOooo!!! The Edmonton Oilers are proud to select, from the Red Deer Rebels, #93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

It's finally official. *crowd goes wild*

*We will update throughout the 1st round what else the Oilers do. They have pick #19.*

UPDATE: The Oilers select defenceman Oscar Klefbom.

Sheldon Souray or Ryan Smyth?

Now that buyout time is on us, one has to wonder why the Oilers have yet to make a move on Sheldon Souray. They will have to put him on waivers and after that if no other team claims him, he can be bought out. But that hasn't happened yet. Why not?

The salary cap is going up for next season and the Oilers do need to add some salary to the payroll to make the cap floor. Souray, if willing to play here, can fill the cap void. Maybe that's why the Oilers have yet to buy him out?

Word today from Bob McKenzie is that Ryan Smyth has told the Kings that he would like to play in Edmonton next year. If a trade can be done, he wants to come home. HOLY CRAP!!! I'd take him in a heartbeat. No questions asked. Smyth is everything an Oiler should be.

Smyth back in Etown would bring the cap up by $6.5 million next season and would make the cap restrictions all better again. He has 1 year left on his current deal.

If the Smyth trade can happen, then see ya Souray. If not, it's damn possible #44 is back on the blueline next season. Ugh! BRING BACK SMYTH!!!

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Draft Time - KHL Style

On May 28th, the KHL held their 3rd entry draft. This year, out of a pool of 371 players, 134 were drafted. No voided picks, like the three from last year when teams drafted players that had already signed an NHL contract.

Not that this affects the NHL draft, but it is a bit interesting to see the mindset of the Russian clubs in their picking. Chances are, most of the guys drafted by the NHL will never see the KHL, but some teams still take the chance. Below, I included those picked that have already been drafted in the NHL, the top projected picks at this year's NHL draft, and just a few that I thought were interesting.

Notable Picks

1st Overall: Anton Slepyshev - Metallurg Novokuznetsk
5th Overall: Jonathan Huberdeau - Vityaz Chekhov
10th Overall: Anders Nilsson (New York Islanders prospect) - Dinamo Minsk
14th Overall: Joel Armia - Severstal Cherepovets
16th Overall: Gabriel Landeskog - Salavat Yulaev Ufa
20th Overall: Oscar Klefbom - Salavat Yulaev Ufa
24th Overall: Markus Granlund - Salavat Yulaev Ufa
33rd Overall: Adam Almqvist (Detroit prospect) - CSKA Moscow
36th Overall: Miikka Salomaki - Dinamo Minsk
42nd Overall: Joachim Nermark - Salavat Yulaev Ufa
43rd Overall: Calle Jarnkrok (Detroit prospect) - Severstal Cherepovets
51st Overall: Christopher Gibson - Ak Bars Kazan
60th Overall: Matthew Dumba (Red Deer Rebels player) - Vityaz Chekhov
65th Overall: Petter Granberg (Toronto prospect) - Dinamo Minsk
74th Overall: Jonas Brodin - SKA Saint Petersburg
80th Overall: Rasmus Bengtsson - Salavat Yulaev Ufa
106th Overall: Ryan Murphy - Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
111th Overall: Ryan Strome - Amur Khabarovsk
112th Overall: Mark McNeill (Edmonton native) - Vityaz Chekhov
121st Overall: Jarrod Rabey (Indiana Ice player) - Dinamo Minsk
132nd Overall: Robbie Russo (US National Dev. Team) - Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
133rd Overall: Sean Couterier - Salavat Yulaev Ufa

And to continue with those that are projected high in this year's NHL draft, from last year's KHL draft:

Dmitri Jaskin - 1st Overall by Sibir Novosibirsk
Adam Larsson - 17th Overall by Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Mika Zibanejad - 129th Overall by Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

Notably absent in both years, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. For whatever reason, I don't know. But considering some of the names that have been drafted by the KHL, it's a bit odd that he wasn't chosen either year.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-