The Edmonton Oilers have been a very exciting organization since joining the NHL for the 1979-80 season. They have had some of the game’s best talent suit up for them at one point or another in their respective careers, and have an alumni group that rivals any of the NHL’s best dynasty teams to ever exist.
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Of course, there have been some lows throughout the Oilers’ existence as well, particularly the decade of darkness which left many fans feeling completely hopeless. Things have turned around since, however, as Edmonton has once again turned into an NHL powerhouse, even if not at the same level established in the 1980s. With that said, here’s a look at the top 10 players to ever suit up for this historic franchise.
*Goalies were not included for this list
10. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
It’s a shame that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has never gotten credit around the NHL that he deserves. Unfortunately, playing in the shadows of the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will do that, but fans in Edmonton are well aware of “The Nuge’s” value to this team, both now at the age of 32 as well as when he was just breaking into the league at 18.
Nugent-Hopkins is a very dependable two-way player for the Oilers who can be used both on the wing and down the middle. His 748 points rank seventh in franchise history, while his 959 games are third. He has an opportunity to surpass Kevin Lowe’s 1,037 games as the most in Oilers history.
9. Ryan Smyth
Despite not being the highest-skilled individual, Ryan Smyth became a very valuable (and beloved) member of the Oilers by making sure he was the hardest working player each and every time he hit the ice. His fearlessness when it came to sacrificing his body in front of the net was something that earned him a ton of respect during his playing days.
Smyth played 971 games in an Oilers sweater, racking up 296 goals and 631 points. The numbers may not pop out as much as they do for others on this list, but it is absolutely impossible to put together a top 10 Oilers list and not have Smyth on it.
8. Doug Weight
Doug Weight doesn’t seem to get a whole lot of hype when mentioning some of the best Oilers of all time, though that isn’t any sort of slight at his play. He just happened to spend his years with the organization when they weren’t very good. What allowed them not to be awful, however, was the fact they had Weight.
Weight, who had more than 1,000-career NHL points, was nearly a point-per-game player during his Oilers tenure, recording 157 goals and 577 points in 588 games. His best season not only as an Oiler but his entire career came in 1995-96, where he put up 104 points.
7. Glenn Anderson
Did Glenn Anderson benefit from playing on an absolutely loaded Oilers roster in the 1980s? The answer is likely yes, though he also helped make those around him a lot better as well. The Vancouver product won five Stanley Cups with the Oilers and a sixth with the New York Rangers, making it no surprise to see that he’s enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Andersson’s 417 goals rank third in Oilers franchise history, trailing only Jari Kurri and Wayne Gretzky. In 845 games as an Oilers, he managed 906 points, proving just how dominant he was. Unfortunately, his name gets overshadowed due to some of the legends he played with, but fans in Edmonton who watched him play on a regular basis will gladly tell you just how good he was.
6. Jari Kurri
There wasn’t a player on the planet who could have possibly served as a better linemate for Gretzky than Kurri. The two formed an absolutely unstoppable duo on both the Oilers and Los Angeles Kings that had opposing goaltenders in panic mode on a nightly basis. Kurri’s 474 goals and 1,043 points in just 754 games as an Oiler help prove his dominance.
Kurri was one of the better goal scorers to ever play the game, finishing his career with more than 600 tallies. His best season came in 1984-85, where he potted 71 goals in just 73 games. Sure, riding shotgun with Gretzky didn’t hurt, but he was an elite talent in his own right.
5. Leon Draisaitl
Few understood just how good of a player the Oilers were getting when they selected Draisaitl with the third pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. The now 29-year-old has morphed into arguably the second-best player in the NHL, and has racked up plenty of hardware with an Art Ross Trophy, a Hart Trophy, a Ted Lindsay Award, and a Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy all to his name.
In just 790 games, Draisaitl has racked up 399 goals and 956 points. He’s currently fifth all time in Oilers scoring, and with his eight-year contract extension set to kick in this season, will have a long time to climb further up that list.
4. Paul Coffey
Having one of the best defencemen of all time be listed as the fourth-best player in your franchise’s history tells you just how lucky Oilers fans have been. Part of that luck came from the fact that they got to witness Paul Coffey dominate on the blue line for years.
Coffey is second all-time in points by a defenceman with 1,531. He put up 669 of those points with the Oilers, doing so in just 532 games. He won two Norris Trophies with the Oilers and three in his career, further indicating just how dominant he was.
3. Mark Messier
As far as all-around talent goes, there was nobody better than Mark Messier. Not only could he put up big offensive numbers, but he was feared by opponents as a result of his ruthless play. He sits third all time amongst NHLers with a whopping 1,887 points.
Messier had several incredible accomplishments with the Oilers, but the biggest was the fact that he was able to lead them to a Stanley Cup championship in 1990 without Gretzky on the roster. He’s currently just one of four players to record north of 1,000 points in an Oilers sweater.
2. Connor McDavid
The fact that McDavid has already been able to surpass many of the legends that have come before him on this list tells you just how magical he is. The 28-year-old is going to go down as one of the best players of all time, and is likely just a Stanley Cup championship away from being on hockey’s Mount Rushmore.
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McDavid has already racked up five Art Rosses, four Ted Lindsays, three Harts, a “Rocket” Richard, and a Conn Smythe Trophy. His 1,082 points are second all time in Oilers history, and he’s played just 712 games. Should he sign a long-term extension in Edmonton, he has a chance to surpass Gretzky’s 1,669 points.
1. Wayne Gretzky
You won’t find a person on the planet who’s shocked by this pick. Gretzky is widely accepted as the best player of all time, and the best years of his career were spent in an Oilers sweater. He racked up 10 Art Rosses, nine Harts, five Lady Byngs, and two Conn Smythes, along with having seemingly every scoring record you can imagine in hockey.
Gretzky is a player who may never be topped as the game’s greatest player, as his sheer level of dominance over his competition is something we haven’t seen anybody, even McDavid, replicate. Simply put, there will never be another Gretzky.
Oilers Fans are a Lucky Bunch
There are several players on this list who would be the best player ever on many other franchises throughout the NHL, proving just how lucky Oilers fans have been over the years. The amount of talent they’ve had and continue to have on their roster is rather unfathomable and has given their fanbase plenty to marvel at over the years.
