The Edmonton Oilers have had an up-and-down start to the 21st century. They had a few first round exits in the early 2000s, a remarkable Stanley Cup run in 2006, and 10 straight seasons of missing the playoffs from 2007-2017 in what has been referred to as the decade of darkness. However, Edmonton has made the playoffs every year since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, culminating in another trip to the Stanley Cup Final last season. Despite not making the playoffs 14 times this century, there have still been some incredible forwards play for the Oilers. Some of them were instrumental during their playoff runs, and others made the decade of darkness somewhat bearable. As 2024 winds down, here are 12 forwards that should be on the Quarter-Century All-Star team.
First-Line Left Winger: Ryan Smyth
Ryan Smyth loved to be an Oiler. He was drafted by the franchise in the first round (sixth overall) in 1994, and played parts of 14 seasons with the club. He ranks second all-time in games played by an Oiler with 971, and first by a forward. His 631 points put him ninth all-time, and three players ahead of him are currently on the team. He made his living inside the blue paint, where he scored the majority of his 255 goals with the organization.
In Feb. 2007, the Oilers traded Smyth to the Islanders in what was an emotional, and heart-breaking day for not only Smyth, but for the collective fan base. He was beloved in Oil Country and was important in the community, so it was devastating to see him leave. However, Smyth returned to Edmonton in 2011 to finish his career, and his retirement game in 2014 was incredibly emotional and tear-jerking. He meant a lot to this franchise, and this city.
First-Line Centre: Connor McDavid
What more needs to be said? Connor McDavid is a generational talent, and is the best player the Oilers have had since Wayne Gretzky. At only 27 years old, he’s already eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau, and is the fourth-fasted player to reach that milestone. The Oilers captain is already fourth all-time in franchise points (1,019), only behind Mark Messier (1,034), Jari Kurri (1,043), and the aforementioned Gretzky (1,669). By the end of this season, he should surpass both Messier and Kurri and sit comfortably in second. He’s a very special player, and Oilers fans are lucky to watch him play when he’s on the ice.
First-Line Right Winger: Ales Hemsky
Ales Hemsky was a first-round pick of the Oilers (13th overall) back in 2001, and played parts of 11 seasons with the club. His rookie season was in 2002-2003, when the Oilers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. But, he was a huge part of the 2006 Stanley Cup run, recording 77 points in 81 games during the regular season, which was the most games he played in a single season during his whole career. He also added 17 points in 24 playoff games as a 22-year-old.
Related: Oilers’ Quarter-Century Team: Defence & Goaltending
The Czechia native had a lot of hard years in Edmonton, as he had some injury troubles, and was on the team through the majority of the decade of darkness. Throughout his 15-year career, he only made the playoffs three times, twice with Edmonton, and once with the Dallas Stars at the tail-end of his career. Despite that, he still had a successful career, as he had 477 points in 652 games in an Oilers sweater which ranks him 11th all-time.
Second-Line Left Winger: Doug Weight
Doug Weight was almost a point-per-game player in Edmonton, recording 577 points in 588 games, putting him 10th on the franchise’s all-time points list. The New York Rangers second-round pick in 1990 was acquired by the Oilers in 1993, where his career really took off. The Michigan native led the team in scoring seven times, and was eventually named the 13th captain in franchise history in 1999. He was inducted into the Oilers Hall of Fame in 2023. Even though most of Weight’s Oilers tenure was before 2000, he left his mark on the franchise before ultimately being traded to the St. Louis Blues in June 2001.
Unfortunately for Oilers fans, Weight was on the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes roster that defeated them in the Stanley Cup Final that season. Despite that, he’s still an Oilers legend and had a great career, spanning 1,238 games, while being one of the 99 players in league history to reach over 1,000 NHL points.
Second-Line Centre: Leon Draisaitl
Leon Draisaitl is by far the best German-born player in NHL history. He’s recorded 886 points in 746 career games, all with the Oilers. To put that into perspective, second on Germany’s all-time points list is Marco Sturm with only 487 points. In Oilers history, he ranks sixth in points, fifth in goals (366), and first in power-play goals (150). He should join McDavid in the 1,000-point club next season. The Oilers are lucky because they locked him up for eight more seasons, so he should be an Oiler for his entire career.
Second-Line Right Winger: Jordan Eberle
Jordan Eberle was the Oilers’ first-round pick in 2008 (22nd overall). He was deemed Mr. Clutch at the World Juniors, scoring some historic goals for Team Canada. Also, who can forget his first NHL goal against Miikka Kiprusoff and the Calgary Flames during his NHL debut? He brought a rejuvenated feeling to the franchise, desperate to bring playoff hockey back to Edmonton. He did play in one postseason for the Oilers in 2017, but sadly that’s what a lot of Oilers fans will remember him for. He didn’t score a goal, and only recorded two assists in 13 playoff games.
Despite that, he’s still a very skilled winger and is now the captain of the Seattle Kraken. He recorded 382 points in 507 games as an Oiler, making him the 15th-highest scorer in franchise history. He was traded for Ryan Strome in 2017, in a deal the Oilers probably regret. He would be a great winger to play alongside McDavid or Draisaitl to this date, and it’s unfortunate that the organization moved on from him.
Third-Line Left Winger: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was the second of three consecutive first-overall picks by the Oilers. Drafted in 2011, the trio of Nugent-Hopkins, Hall, and Eberle were supposed to be the core that helped Edmonton finally get out of the league’s basement, but it didn’t work out that way. Despite that, Nugent-Hopkins was the only one not traded, and he became part of the new core consisting of McDavid, Draisaitl, and Darnell Nurse.
The Burnaby, British Columbia native has played 908 games in an Oilers sweater, making him third all-time in games played, and he’s well on his way to 1,000. He has 713 points in that time, putting him seventh all-time. Like his teammate Draisaitl, he should also be an Oiler for his entire career, and that in itself is very special.
Third-Line Centre: Todd Marchant
Todd Marchant was an Oiler from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. He was in Edmonton for parts of 10 seasons, recording 343 points in 678 games. The Buffalo native was rarely out of the lineup, as he played in over 70 games every season with the franchise since 1995-96, including three seasons where he played in all 82 games, and one season where he played 81 games.
Marchant was a seventh-round pick of the Rangers in 1993 (164 overall), so it’s remarkable that he was able to play 1,195 games in his NHL career. He was able to help the Oilers make the playoffs six times between 1997-2003, including five straight.
Third-Line Right Winger: Zach Hyman
Zach Hyman was a free-agent signing in the summer of 2021, and instantly became a fan-favourite in Edmonton. Since joining the Oilers, Hyman has 225 points in 257 games playing alongside McDavid, including a 54-goal campaign in 2023-24. He’s a hard worker that gets to the front of the net and makes life difficult for the opposition’s goaltenders.
Fourth-Line Left Winger: Taylor Hall
Taylor Hall was the first-overall pick in 2010, and was the first of three straight first-overall picks awarded to the organization between 2010 and 2012. This draft provided optimism for the fan base, and would hopefully turn around the Oilers’ fortunes. Hall was supposed to lead this team to the promised land, but that wasn’t the case, largely due to mismanagement by the front office.
Related: Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson Trade Revisited
Hall spent six seasons in Edmonton, and unfortunately never made the playoffs with the team. He was traded in a one-for-one swap for Adam Larsson in 2016, which led to the Oilers making the playoffs the following season, and ending the decade of darkness. While Hall never made the playoffs as an Oiler, he still registered 328 points in 381 games, and provided excitement through the dark times.
Fourth-Line Centre: Shawn Horcoff
Shawn Horcoff is sixth on the Oilers’ all-time games played list with 796. He recorded 447 points in that time. The British Columbia native was a fourth-round pick (99th overall) by the Oilers in 1998, and played parts of 12 seasons with the organization. He made the playoffs three times with the team, recording 23 points in 35 playoff games. He was named the 16th captain in franchise history in 2010, and served for three seasons, until he was traded in 2013. He was a warrior for this team throughout the good times, and the bad.
Fourth-Line Right Winger: Sam Gagner
Who can ever forget Sam Gagner’s historic eight-point game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 2, 2012? Gagner was drafted in the first round by the Oilers (sixth overall) in 2007, and had three separate stints with the franchise. He recorded 327 points in 570 games in Edmonton, but he was on some brutal teams through the decade of darkness. He was a standout through the majority of those years, until he was traded in 2014.
Is there anyone else that should be on this team? As the 2024-25 season moves along, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news from around the NHL and the hockey world.
