How the Western Conference champion Oilers were built

The Edmonton Oilers are back in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in nearly two decades. It's been almost 18 full years since the Carolina Hurricanes defeated them in Game 7 to win the championship in 2006. So how did Edmonton get back to the final?

The Oilers have developed more than a dozen players from within, and their numerous draft lottery wins over the years are well-documented. It would be irresponsible not to mention the No. 1 picks as a factor in Edmonton's roster construction, and the team wouldn't be where it is without the one they landed in 2015.

However, this season's Oilers also featured 17 players they brought in from outside the organization. The challenge for president of hockey operations and general manager Ken Holland (who's had the job since 2019) has been surrounding his two superstars with a championship-caliber supporting cast.

Steve Tambellini (2008-13), Craig MacTavish (2013-15), Peter Chiarelli (2015-19) and Keith Gretzky (interim in 2019) preceded Holland in building this Oilers roster. Here's how the current GM and his predecessors assembled the squad that has a chance to become the first Canadian team to win the Cup since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993:

Method Players Homegrown 13 Trade 6 Free agency 11

Note: All players played at least one game for Oilers during the regular season

Homegrown

Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (June 24, 2011): Nugent-Hopkins has endured many years of ups and downs (mostly the latter) in Edmonton, and he's the longest-tenured player among both teams in the Cup Final. The skilled forward has played all 13 seasons with the club that drafted him first overall. And yet, he's still only 31 years old.

Darnell Nurse (June 30, 2013): The Oilers drafted another mainstay a couple of years later, selecting Nurse seventh overall. The defenseman has had a rough go of it in these playoffs, and his average ice time in the regular season was his lowest since 2016-17. But Nurse still plays in all situations.

Leon Draisaitl (June 27, 2014): The Oilers landed the first half of their two-headed megastar monster when they chose Draisaitl with the third pick - coincidentally sandwiched between a trio of players (after Aaron Ekblad and Sam Reinhart, and right before Sam Bennett) he'll face in the Cup Final. Draisaitl has blossomed into one of the NHL's absolute best, with three seasons of at least 50 goals and five of at least 100 points. He also won the Hart and Art Ross trophies in 2020.

Connor McDavid (June 26, 2015): Edmonton's fortunes took a monumental step forward when it won the 2015 draft lottery. The term "generational player" gets thrown around a lot these days, but McDavid was rightfully considered one from an early age, and he's more than lived up to the hype. The three-time MVP is a finalist again for the sixth time in nine seasons, and he's clearly the biggest reason the Oilers have made it this far.

Vincent Desharnais (June 25, 2016): Desharnais overcame the odds to become one of the best stories on the team. Edmonton didn't pick him until the seventh round - 183rd overall - but the 6-foot-7, 226-pound rearguard emerged as a physical force in 2023-24. He racked up 135 hits and 122 blocked shots during the regular season, but he's been replaced by another homegrown blue-liner in the lineup lately.

Philip Kemp (June 24, 2017): Another seventh-rounder (picked 208th) hasn't panned out as well, to say the least. Kemp played just one game for the Oilers during the regular season (his NHL debut), spending his other 64 with their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. In fairness to Kemp, the American defenseman is only 25. Desharnais didn't debut in the NHL until he was 26.

Stuart Skinner (June 24, 2017): The Oilers made a far more consequential selection the same day they drafted Kemp, choosing Skinner 130 picks earlier in the third round. The Edmonton-born netminder took over as the primary man in the crease last season and followed up those 50 games with 59 in 2023-24. He's had trouble in both of his postseasons, but as McDavid said, Skinner "absolutely stole" the series clincher Sunday.

Evan Bouchard (June 22, 2018): Bouchard already had a couple of solid campaigns under his belt, but he enjoyed a true breakout this season. The 24-year-old ranked fifth in the league among defensemen in goals (18), third in assists (64), and fourth in points while averaging exactly 23 minutes of ice time. Bouchard is now a fixture on the Oilers' top power-play unit, on which his bomb of a shot is a major asset.

Ryan McLeod (June 23, 2018): McLeod was a depth player at the start of his career after Edmonton took him 40th overall. But lately, he's been lining up on Draisaitl's wing, helping the German dynamo rank second in playoff scoring leaguewide behind McDavid this spring. McLeod doesn't pile up points himself, but his contributions are largely unquantifiable.

Philip Broberg (June 21, 2019): Broberg is the aforementioned rearguard who's taken Desharnais' job of late. The Oilers chose Broberg eighth overall five years ago. The Swede, who'll turn 23 on June 25, scored his first-ever playoff goal in Game 5 of the conference final against the Dallas Stars.

Raphael Lavoie (June 22, 2019): The Oilers drafted Lavoie 38th overall, so expectations weren't as high for him. But the 23-year-old forward was held pointless in all seven NHL games he played this season - his first taste of action at the highest level. Lavoie hasn't gotten into a playoff game this spring, but he remains part of Edmonton's future.

James Hamblin (April 30, 2020): Hamblin finished his season in Bakersfield, but he did play 31 contests for the Oilers in 2023-24. The Edmonton-born winger managed two goals and an assist in that span, and the 25-year-old appears to be nothing more than organizational depth at this point.

Dylan Holloway (Oct. 6, 2020): It's too early to call Holloway a bust, especially considering 2020 first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere didn't erupt for the New York Rangers until these playoffs. However, Holloway has yet to live up to the potential that inspired the Oilers to draft him 13 picks later. The 22-year-old has three goals and an assist over 18 games in this postseason.

Trade

Mattias Ekholm Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty

Warren Foegele (July 28, 2021): Foegele has been a healthy scratch for the last few games, but he hasn't always been in the doghouse. Edmonton landed him in a one-for-one swap with the Carolina Hurricanes for blue-liner Ethan Bear. Foegele set career highs in goals (20), assists (21), and points during the 2023-24 regular season, his third campaign with the Oilers.

Brett Kulak (March 21, 2022): They reeled in Kulak - another Edmonton-born player - in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens, who then used the conditional second-rounder they got in the deal on star college blue-liner Lane Hutson. While that's not the best look for the Oilers, Kulak has been a reliable top-four rearguard.

Mattias Ekholm (Feb. 28, 2023): Ekholm has been a dream fit since the Oilers acquired him in a trade with the Nashville Predators. The Swede's known for steady defensive play, but he also established career highs with 11 goals and 45 points while boasting elite underlying numbers in 2023-24.

Sam Carrick (March 6, 2024): Edmonton acquired Carrick two days before the deadline as part of a deal with the Anaheim Ducks. The 32-year-old depth forward has played in nine of the Oilers' 18 playoff games this spring.

Adam Henrique (March 6, 2024): Henrique was the bigger add in that trade with the Ducks, as he was still playing effectively for Anaheim at 34 years old. The veteran notched six goals and three assists over 22 games for Edmonton down the stretch, and he's added two tallies and two helpers in 10 playoff contests so far.

Troy Stecher (March 7, 2024): The Oilers acquired Stecher and a seventh-round pick from the Arizona Coyotes for a 2027 fourth-rounder. The defenseman, who turned 30 about a month later, played seven games for Edmonton before an infected ankle cyst sidelined him and eventually required surgery in late May.

Free agency

Zach Hyman Derek Cain / Getty Images

Cody Ceci (July 28, 2021): Ceci was often maligned during his tenures with the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Pittsburgh Penguins, but he's largely flown under the radar with the Oilers. He drove possession in 2023-24, providing surprising stability on Edmonton's third pairing.

Zach Hyman (July 28, 2021): The Oilers made their most impactful free-agent signing - and one of their most important moves period - on the opening day of the frenzy a few years ago. Hyman fit in seamlessly in Edmonton, and he exploded for 54 goals over 80 games this season. His cap hit of $5.5 million through 2027-28 is a bargain given the numerous ways he contributes.

Derek Ryan (July 28, 2021): Ryan is in his third season with the Oilers after playing three with the rival Calgary Flames and his first three with the Hurricanes. The 37-year-old fourth-liner is the second-oldest player in this Cup Final and the second-oldest Oiler. He joined Edmonton on a two-year, $2.5-million deal and then inked another for the same term and a total of $1.8 million last June.

Evander Kane (Jan. 27, 2022): Undeterred by Kane's numerous indiscretions, Holland took a chance on the mercurial winger less than three weeks after the San Jose Sharks released him. Kane inked a one-year, $1.375-million deal that January, and he made an immediate on-ice impact. In July 2022, the Oilers signed him to a four-year, $20.5-million pact. Kane, who'll turn 33 in August, scored 24 goals in this regular season with his lowest average ice time since his rookie year with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Jack Campbell (July 13, 2022): Giving Campbell a five-year, $25-million contract turned out horribly for Holland. The ex-Toronto Maple Leaf wasn't the solution in the crease the organization thought he would be, and he's still under contract through 2026-27 with the right to submit a 10-team no-trade list.

Calvin Pickard (July 13, 2022): Pickard joined Edmonton on a two-year, two-way contract. Skinner obviously benefited the most from Campbell's woes, but Pickard earned the backup job in the regular season, and he's been an important piece in these playoffs. Pickard relieved Skinner in Game 3 against the Vancouver Canucks and started the next two for a .915 save percentage in that span before Skinner got back in the crease.

Mattias Janmark (July 17, 2022): Janmark signed for one year and $1.25 million, then re-upped for another year and $1 million. The 31-year-old depth forward doesn't light up the scoresheet, but he can still contribute. He scored the eventual winner in Game 4 against the Stars.

Connor Brown (July 1, 2023): The Oilers inked Brown to a one-year deal for $4 million, but with just $775,000 counting against the cap. He ultimately got the rest by playing 10 games. Brown tore his ACL four contests into his 2022-23 season, but he suited up for 71 games with Edmonton and then another 12 so far in these playoffs, chipping in a goal and three assists alongside Janmark and Henrique on the third line in the postseason.

Adam Erne (Oct. 13, 2023): Erne has played sparingly since he signed a one-year deal for the league minimum (the same cap hit as Brown but without the incentive). The 29-year-old forward hasn't appeared in a playoff game this spring and last got into the lineup on April 18 - his first appearance since January. Erne played 24 contests in the regular season.

Sam Gagner (Oct. 31, 2023): Gagner truly had to earn a roster spot to ensure a third stint with the Oilers. They brought in the journeyman - who'll turn 35 this August - on an AHL tryout, and he eventually signed a one-year pact with the Condors. Eight days later, Gagner inked a one-year, two-way contract with Edmonton. He hasn't played in this postseason, but he did post 10 points in 28-regular season games for the Oilers.

Corey Perry (Jan. 21, 2024): Despite the inappropriate conduct that led the Chicago Blackhawks to terminate his contract, the Oilers gave Perry a one-year deal at the minimum with bonuses totaling $325,000, all of which he's now hit. At 39 years old, Perry has become the first player ever to reach the final with five different teams, and he's seeking his second Cup win 17 years after his first.

(Salary source: CapFriendly)

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