Eras Collide: Predicting The Oilers' Quarter-Century Team

We're approaching the end of the NHL's quarter-century celebrations, which means it's finally time to shine a light on the Edmonton Oilers.

The Oilers' quarter-century team will be unveiled tomorrow (the second-last team before Utah, though why Utah gets their own is beyond me), so there's no better time to offer up my prediction on the twelve players who will make up the list.

The ground rules: Each of the first and second quarter-century teams consists of three forwards, two defencemen, and one goalie, taking into account their accomplishments with the team from January 1st, 2000, to the present day.

Without further ado, our Edmonton Oilers quarter-century teams:

First Team

Connor McDavid (356 G, 692 A, 1048 P in 689 GP)

Obviously. A top-five player in the NHL from the moment he first took to the ice in Edmonton, McDavid is the best player on the planet and the face of the Oilers, who singlehandedly changed everything about the franchise when they won his rights in the draft lottery in 2015.

Leon Draisaitl (382 G, 543 A, 925 P in 769 GP)

Another easy one. The Jagr to McDavid's Lemieux, the Malkin to his Crosby, Draisaitl leads all Oilers in goals since 2000 with three 50-goal campaigns under his belt and another on the way. Draisaitl might add another Hart Trophy to his case this season, too. Oh, and he's a pretty decent passer, too.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (266 G, 465 A, 731 P in 930 GP)

Rounding out the first team's forwards is another current-day Oiler. The 2011 first-overall pick is already third on the team's all-time games played list and has been a picture of consistency and a fan favourite for fifteen seasons in Edmonton. When it's all said and done, 'Nuge' will be far and away the franchise record holder for games played.

Darnell Nurse (80 G, 209 A, 289 P in 687 GP)

Edmonton's horse on the blueline for more than a decade, no Oilers defenceman is within even 100 games of Nurse's 687 in the 2000s. Fourth in franchise history in overtime goals (6), Nurse is a beloved figure in the city and the locker room.

Evan Bouchard (49 G, 159 A, 208 P in 315 GP)

While Bouchard's reputation is less than he deserves, he's quite simply the best offensive defenceman the Oilers have had since Paul Coffey. His breakout season and playoffs last year were the stuff of legend, and he set the NHL record for most assists in a playoff run with 26.

Cam Talbot (104-95-19, .912 SV%, 2.74 GAA)

Edmonton's backbone when they ended the decade of darkness in 2016-17, Talbot was as solid as they come for three full seasons with the Oilers, garnering a fourth-place finish in Vezina Trophy voting when he made 73 starts during that 2016-17 season.

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Second Team

Ryan Smyth (194 G, 247 A, 441 P in 620 GP) *since 1999-00*

Edmonton's heart and soul throughout the 2000s, no list of great Oilers would be complete without Ryan Smyth. From his role in the run to the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals to wearing the 'C' in his final NHL game, no player has ever meant more to Oilers fans.

Ales Hemsky (142 G, 335 A, 477 P in 652 GP)

Perhaps underappreciated during his time in Edmonton, the Czech star was the Oilers' most consistent offensive threat in the late 2000s. He helped many younger Oilers fans (myself included) through the miserable first years of the decade of darkness.

Shawn Horcoff (162 G, 285 A, 447 P in 796 GP)

The former captain was miscast as a first-line centre, but nobody brought more energy to the Oilers' lineup. The 12-year Edmonton vet's best season came in 2005-06, when he scored 73 points in the regular season and another 19 in 24 playoff games.

Steve Staios (35 G, 111 A, 146 P in 573 GP)

'Steady Steve' lived up to his nickname, playing 573 hard-nosed games on the Oilers blueline, blocking untold numbers of shots along the way. Now the GM of the Ottawa Senators, Staios was once the most dependable player on the Oilers' blueline.

Mattias Ekholm (22 G, 59 A, 81 P in 150 GP)

The most recent addition to this list, Ekholm's acquisition at the 2023 trade deadline marked the Oilers' arrival as a true Stanley Cup contender. He's completely changed the makeup of the roster, as a do-it-all workhorse defenceman who provides the perfect complement to Evan Bouchard.

Dwayne Roloson (78-82-14, .909 SV%, 2.78 GAA)

Acquired from Minnesota as a 36-year-old journeyman backup in 2006, 'Roli the Goalie' proceeded to have a playoff run for the ages, posting a .927 save percentage before falling to injury in game one of the Stanley Cup Finals. Many Oiler fans still rue that day, and blame the injury for ending their Stanley Cup hopes.

So there you have it. There are plenty of other deserving candidates, including Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Zach Hyman, Jason Smith, Oscar Klefbom, Tommy Salo, and Stuart Skinner, but you can't tell the story of the Oilers since 2000 without these twelve.

We'll see how this compares with the real thing when the NHL announces their Oilers' quarter-century team tomorrow.