Hall. Omark. Pääjärvi. Eberle.

Diehard Oilersnation fans will remember the days of H.O.P.E. and the umpteen references Wanye made about them over the years, but that hope dwindled as time went on.

One quarter of that hope was Magnus Pääjärvi, and it was easy to see why. Selected by the Oilers 10th overall in the 2009 draft, Pääjärvi put up solid numbers in Sweden and brought forth a toolbox that fit the Oilers with speed, skill and creativity.

After returning to Sweden after being drafted, he joined the Oilers in short order, debuting in Edmonton in the 2010-11 season. Pääjärvi was great that season, scoring 15 goals and 34 points in 80 games, but that would mark his high point in terms of NHL productivity.

Just like Anton Lander, who we covered the other day, he would turn into an NHL-AHL tweener. For the next two seasons, he’d split his time between the leagues, scoring 11 goals and 24 points in 83 games for the Oilers, and 11 goals and 45 points in 72 AHL games with the Oklahoma City Barons.

Come summer 2013, the Oilers had a chance to upgrade on the winger, and they did just that, trading him, a 2014 second-round pick and a 2015 fourth-round pick to the St. Louis Blues for winger David Perron and a 2015 third-round pick. Perron, despite being in Edmonton for only parts of two seasons, provided much more offence, scoring 33 goals and 76 points in 116 games, before being sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a first-round pick and Rob Klinkhammer.

Nonetheless, Pääjärvi would spend parts of five seasons in the Blues organization, bouncing between the NHL and AHL, scoring 19 goals and 39 points in 189 NHL games, and despite a season-and-a-half in Ottawa, he would head overseas in 2019-20. He would join forces with fellow countryman Lander playing for the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, spending two years in Russia before returning to the SHL. His first stop was with the Malmo Redhawks in 2021-22, but once again would find himself on the same team as Lander.

Both arrived with Timrå IK in 2022-23, and Pääjärvi has spent the last four years there, scoring 25 goals and 46 points in 193 games.

Much like with Lander, it was untapped upside. Pääjärvi’s rookie season had everybody in Edmonton excited with the Decade of Darkness in full swing, and it got started when, in his pre-season debut, he scored a hat trick and four point game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Talk about setting the bar high.

Overall, Pääjärvi enjoyed better overall seasons once he left the Oilers, but there’s no denying he never lived up to the expectations that came with his high draft selection.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor and The Nation Network’s news director. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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