The 2024 NHL Entry Draft kicks off tonight in Las Vegas, and the Edmonton Oilers will have limited draft capital to bolster their depth chart, as many of their selections were sent away at the trade deadline. With only six picks available—one in the first four rounds—I wanted to give everyone a quick breakdown of where the Oilers will be picking and who they’ve taken in those rounds before.

The Oilers hold a valuable pick in the second round, giving them a reasonable chance to draft a promising prospect who can make an impact in the near future. By no means are second round picks a lock to make the NHL, but the likelihood of finding a gem is pretty reasonable, even as late as the Oilers are selecting.

Second round picks from the past 10 years: Beau Akey (56th in 2023), Raphael Lavoie (38th in 2019), Ryan McLeod (40th in 2018), Tyler Benson (32nd in 2016)

In the fifth round, Edmonton will look to find a hidden gem or a player with specific attributes that can add depth to their lineup. Once we get this late in the draft, the general idea is to grab players with raw talent that you hope will develop further with more at-bats and proper coaching. I don’t know that I expect a lot once we get to this stage, but that doesn’t mean the Oilers haven’t had some success in the latter rounds.

Fifth round picks from the past 10 years: Samuel Jonnson (158th in 2022), Tyler Tullio (126th in 2020), Maxim Beryozkin (138th in 2020), Kirill Maximov (146th in 2017), Dylan Wells (123rd in 2016), Graham McPhee (149th in 2016), Ethan Bear (124th in 2015), Liam Coughlin (130th in 2014)

The Oilers have two picks in the sixth round. The 183rd pick was acquired from Nashville in the Mattias Ekholm trade from two years ago, while the 192nd pick is their own. Picks this late in the draft provide opportunities to select long-shot players who may not necessarily contribute to the NHL team’s long-term success but likely in the minors. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, such as Michael Kesselring and John Marino, but that only helps if those players remain with your organization.

Sixth round picks from the past 10 years: Nathanial Day (184th in 2023), Nikita Yevseyev (190th in 2022), Matvei Petrov (180th in 2021), Shane Lachance (186th in 2021), Filip Engaras (169th in 2020), Tomas Mazura (162nd in 2019), Michael Kesselring (164th in 2018), Skyler Brind’Amour (177th in 2017), Aapeli Rasanen (153rd in 2016), John Marino (208th in 2015), Tyler Vesel (153rd in 2014)

Edmonton has two picks in the seventh round as well. The 196th pick came from the Adam Henrique/Sam Carrick trade on deadline day, while the 218th selected was acquired in the Troy Stecher deal. These late-round picks are often used to take a chance on high-risk, high-reward prospects. That’s not to say that it’s impossible to make the NHL — we just saw Vinny Desharnais play meaningful minutes for the Oilers in the playoffs — but it is pretty unlikely.

Seventh round picks from the past 10 years: Matt Coppini (216th in 2023), Joel Maata (222nd in 2022), Max Wanner (212th in 2021), Jeremias Lindewall (200th in 2020), Maxim Denezhkin (193rd in 2019), Patrik Silkanen (195th in 2018), Phil Kemp (208th in 2017), Vincent Desharnais (183rd in 2016), Miroslav Svoboda (208th in 2015), Ziyat Paigin (209th in 2015), Kevin Bouchard (183rd in 2014)

If you look at the players the Oilers drafted in the second, fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds over the last 10 years, it’s not surprising to see that some of the kids worked out while most of them didn’t. If I’ve learned anything about the draft over the 16 years I’ve been working at Oilersnation it’s that the draft is a crapshoot at the best of times and expecting the Oilers to hit on all of their selections is extremely unlikely.

It would be nice if our favourite team could raise their success rate in every round, but I also don’t know how likely it is to expect that to happen. Looking around the league, it always seems like other teams have more prospects contributing at the NHL level, but that could also be my jealousy speaking. When it comes to what happens at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, I really don’t know what to expect, given where the Oilers are picking and what they’ll likely have to give up to get rid of some contracts.

At the end of the day, the Oilers are in win-now mode, so it’s not at all surprising that they’re light on draft picks, but that does mean we’re likely in line for a quieter weekend than we’d probably like to see. What intrigues me most about the draft is whether or not the Oilers will have to use their limited draft picks as part of bigger deals to clear cap space. Given that some major extensions are coming down the pipe, seeing how Jeff Jackson navigates these next four days will be fascinating to watch.