Edmonton Oilers vs. 1980s Dynasty

Edmonton Oilers Have Comparable Pieces, Still Short a Paul Coffey Type Defenseman

Edmonton Oilers of the 80s compared to Edmonton of 2015 is far from a fair comparison, most would say, but is it a stretch? The only reason Wayne Gretzky ended up in Edmonton was dumb luck, as he happened to be part of the 1979 WHA merger. Too young to be drafted by the NHL at the time, but Edmonton had control over the players on Gretzky’s WHA team and were able to sign him.

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Mark Messier was drafted in the 3rd (48) round in 1979, and played alongside Gretzky as rookies during the 1979-80 season. Other picks at the 1979 draft for Edmonton included D Kevin Lowe 1st(21) and Glenn Anderson 4th (69). Edmonton Oilers were a terrible team during Gretzky and Messier’s rookie season with a losing record of 28-39-13-69pts. At the 1980 NHL draft, Edmonton chose Paul Coffey 1st (6), Jari Kurri 4th (69), Walt Podubny 5th (90), and Andy Moog 7th (132). Podubny ended up being traded in 1982 in a deal that brought Laurie Boschman to the Edmonton Oilers. The next year saw improvement but they were still unable to make any noise, losing in the NHL quarter-finals. Their record in 1980-81 was 29-35-16-74pts. [hockeydb]

Next piece of the dynasty came at the 1981 Draft when Edmonton drafted Grant Fuhr 1st (8) and D Steve Smith 6th (111). In year three, Gretzky and co. finally put together a solid season after a change of in net, with Moog and Fuhr. Edmonton Oilers went 48-17-15 with 111 points during the 1981-82 season, but unfortunately lost in the Divisional Finals. The 1982 NHL Draft was one to forget for the Edmonton Oilers, full of draft busts. It didn’t matter, the Oilers dynasty was only short a couple of pieces by this point. They continued their success going 47-21-12 for 106 points during the 1982-83 season, but lost in the Stanley Cup finals. [hockeydb]

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Final touches were added at the 1983 draft with D Jeff Beukeboom being drafted 1st (19), but never played an overly significant role with Edmonton, having his best years with the Rangers. A guy that did play a significant role in later Cup wins was 4th (80) rounder Esa Tikkanen, and was the true final piece. That next season in 1983-84, Edmonton Oilers won their first of four Stanley Cups with Gretzky. [hockeydb]

When you think of 1980s Edmonton Oilers dynasty and the names associated with them, the list includes Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Grant Fuhr, Glenn Anderson, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, and Esa Tikkanen for the last two before Gretzky was traded. They’ve got their Gretzky comparable with phenom Connor McDavid. Messier was a leader and among the top scorers, which sounds reminiscent of a young Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, no? Edmonton Oilers of the 80s featured a Grant Fuhr/Andy Moog tandem during the regular season, but majority of starts went to Fuhr in the playoffs. Do Edmonton Oilers have this in Cam Talbot/Anders Nilsson?

Jari Kurri was a potent scorer behind Gretzky in the 80s, reminiscent of what the years to come could bring with Taylor Hall behind Connor McDavid. Also worth noting that Jari Kurri had 43 points his rookie season, while Hall had 42 points (both finished second in scoring for Edmonton). Glenn Anderson was somewhat of an unsung hero from that 1980s Edmonton Oilers dynasty, a proven potent-scorer. Anderson was a draft day steal, who unlike his other counterparts did not appear as a rookie the year he was drafted. Sounds a little like Jordan Eberle who took a few years to develop and was a late first round steal 22nd overall. Eberle has already proven he can be a potent-scorer as well.

When comparing Esa Tikkanen to any current Edmonton Oilers player, the only name that fits is Leon Draisaitl. Tikkanen was a big piece for the later Stanley Cups taking some extra time to develop as the Oilers got better. Draisaitl looks to be an impact player a little further down the road for the Edmonton Oilers, as they start to improve in the meantime. It took nearly 4 years to fully construct that 80s dynasty team, and finally won their first Stanley Cup five years after guys such as Gretzky, Messier, Lowe, Anderson all arrived. It took four years to win after the arrival of hall-of-fame defenseman Paul Coffey.

Oct 1, 2015; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) skates against the Vancouver Canucks at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Yes some of these current Edmonton Oilers former top picks have five to seven years experience already, but they didn’t have their Wayne Gretzky to begin with. McDavid was the last piece of the puzzle, and these Oilers teams certainly haven’t had a premier defenseman like Paul Coffey to grow with. The evaluation window for this current Edmonton Oilers team needs to be set around 1.5 years. That’s adequate time to allow McDavid to grow into the superstar he’s destined to be.

That 1.5 year window is CRUCIAL for addressing holes and needs, to make this a competitive playoff team moving forward. Edmonton needs to use that window to evaluate its goaltenders (including Laurent Broissoit) and see if they can find their own version of a Grant Fuhr/Andy Moog tandem. The problem with Edmonton’s current defense is too many decent-quality defenseman and no elite premier type guy. Justin Schultz, Oscar Klefbom, and Andrej Sekera are all serviceable d-men. But in comparison to the 80s, it’s like having three Kevin Lowe’s and no Paul Coffey.

What should the Edmonton Oilers do? Maybe hope one of these young guys on the blue-line steps in a big way, such as Klefbom or Darnell Nurse? Or do you set your first round target for the 2016 NHL Entry Draft towards a defenseman? Maybe the Oilers need to make a splash in the trade market by actively shopping players like Nail Yakupov? It’s tough to be patient when you’re dealing with a losing culture for so long, but take it from a Leafs fan Edmonton, R-E-L-A-X. Because even if you don’t have a Stanley Cup winning culture in the dressing room right now, you’ve acquired more than enough talent over the past half decade to open up a plethora of trade options. GM Peter Chiarelli is a brilliant man who’s in his first year as Edmonton Oilers GM. Give him time to evaluate what he has, and expect him to be busy once he’s made his analysis. Let’s remember folks that this is a hypothetical comparison and not to be taken literally at face-value. It would be impossible to compare full careers to partial careers.

Next: Joni Pitkanen Contemplates NHL Return

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