Is it ever OK to trade a 1st overall pick anymore?

[SotasicA]

It's a good idea if the return is of more value.

Not the answer you were looking for?

 

[thadd]

I don't think any reasonable person would call him 1st overall worthy.

He's looking better and better on the wing. At a center I think he's a 2/3 tweener. But his giveaway take away ratio, his playmaking skills and his board work is making him look better and better on the wing. He still needs to shoot more often, but he seems to be shooting at the right time more often. There was a time when it looked like he'd rather cut off a limb before shooting the puck.

 

[thadd]

It's a good idea if the return is of more value.

Not the answer you were looking for?

No. It's just vague.
Value is in the eye of the beholder.
If a ton of this year's potential UFAs haven't resigned before the draft then I see a lot of value in such a trade for the Oilers if the previously met stipulations are met.
And I see a ton of value assuming we aren't throwing $12M at players most people think to be worth 8M.

 

[Sam Spade]

I can assure you that they're glad they kept the RNH pick. Jeeze.

Really, trading down to get someone like Scheifele or Couturier wouldn't have been an "ok" move? Heck even Hamilton would have been a more impactful player for the Oilers than RNH.

 

[Mickey Marner]

Yes, you are crazy. Oilers MGMT will just spend the additional 16 million on more crappy players because they're morons. Lowe/MacT/Chia are a cancerous tumor sucking the life from the Oilers and they need to go.

 

[Seanaconda]

I think its okay to trade the first overall depending on the situation and the return . Wouldn't do it to dump contracts tho

 

[GoJetsGo55]

I fell right out of my chair when I first heard that news.

It honestly shocked me. I never envisioned a scenario where they could unload that contract.

 

[McNuge]

I don't think any reasonable person would call him 1st overall worthy.

Not every year is created equal. You don't get a Connor McDavid every year. RNH only had 2 other players to compete with in his draft year, Landeskog and Larsson. He was 1OA talent at the draft but his draft year was also not very good.

To answer OP's question the answer is you never trade the 1OA. Especially to dump contracts. 1OA can be/ should be franchise altering (like Hughes). So yeah you may be stuck in bad cap situations when you have the 1OA pick but you also have 3 ELC years to get that shit figured out. Trading a top end talent is not the way to get ahead. Unless that pick Yak.

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

Really, trading down to get someone like Scheifele or Couturier wouldn't have been an "ok" move? Heck even Hamilton would have been a more impactful player for the Oilers than RNH.

The talk was about using a pick to get rid of bad contracts, not trade down and get a different player, but that only ever comes with that perfect 20/20 hindsight.

RNH is still the best all around player taken in the top 5.

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

I don't think any reasonable person would call him 1st overall worthy.

Look at the next 4 picks and tell me who is more worthy? The pick was fine. It was a weak draft at the top end . You keep changing your narrative to bash him and you keep being wrong. Move on

 

[cj19]

yes just look at eric lindros trade!

 

[Sam Spade]

The talk was about using a pick to get rid of bad contracts, not trade down and get a different player, but that only ever comes with that perfect 20/20 hindsight.

RNH is still the best all around player taken in the top 5.

WHAT? I'd take Landeskog or Huberdeau over RNH easily.

Also how weird is it that the Oilers have four of the top twenty picks from that draft on their team but none of the really good ones?

 

[haveandare]

Depends on the draft that year and what you'd move the 1OA for. A draft where you can get Hughes or Kakko would be a particularly dicey year to try this, and I wouldn't recommend ever doing it to offload bad deals. In a year with a questionable start to the first round I think a team could get away with trying to move the 1OA for a top young player if they could get another team to bite.

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

WHAT? I'd take Landeskog or Huberdeau over RNH easily.

Also how weird is it that the Oilers have four of the top twenty picks from that draft on their team but none of the really good ones?

Yup. Klef, RNH and Larsson all suck. Yup, they drafted Strome and Larsson. Give your head a shake.

 

[Bonzo111]

Look at the next 4 picks and tell me who is more worthy? The pick was fine. It was a weak draft at the top end . You keep changing your narrative to bash him and you keep being wrong. Move on

few guys are better than RNH but thats not the point. The point is you can trade the 1st overall, especially if its going to turn out to be an RND calibre player. who's never cracked 60 points in the NHL.

 

[HydroF]

There are certainly situations I can imagine where trading down up to a couple spots could be beneficial, but in general for the cap era cheap top end talent is pretty much the most valuable thing you can hope for. So I would be very skeptical of any suggestion of trading that for veterans or offloading bad contracts etc

 

[Bonzo111]

Not every year is created equal. You don't get a Connor McDavid every year. RNH only had 2 other players to compete with in his draft year, Landeskog and Larsson. He was 1OA talent at the draft but his draft year was also not very good.

I know, that was my entire point.

 

[Dustin]

You could move those pieces without using a 1st overall pick.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

sure, if I had the 1st overall and you called up offering McDavid...the pick is all yours

 

[McNuge]

few guys are better than RNH but thats not the point. The point is you can trade the 1st overall, especially if its going to turn out to be an RND calibre player. who's never cracked 60 points in the NHL.

That's a bit of an oversight. He's missed time in quite a few seasons where his P/GP would be over 60. It's like saying Matthews has never hit 70 points. He hasn't, but clearly he is much better than a 70 point player.

 

[belair]

It's kinda funny you start a thread off by complaining of mismanagement and then continue on suggesting a deal that is the exact definition of mismanagement.

When you move players who are contributing, they need to be replaced. And considering the Oilers have no NHL ready talent prepared to step in, they'll have to dig into the UFA market to fill those holes. Isn't that where those three contracts came from? Hmmm.

Cap space is only valuable when it's being used.

 

[Chips]

It’s always been okay to trade the 1st overall, in terms of whether it could legitimately improve your team.

Particularly if that most likely 1st choice is super hyped.


I think it should depend on the team with the pic, and how far along with their rebuild they are.

 

[Bonzo111]

That's a bit of an oversight. He's missed time in quite a few seasons where his P/GP would be over 60. It's like saying Matthews has never hit 70 points. He hasn't, but clearly he is much better than a 70 point player.

fair enough, I like the guy, just not a 1st overall type dude is all.

 

[McNuge]

fair enough, I like the guy, just not a 1st overall type dude is all.

No disagreement on that, he's one of my favorite players on the team but if they were expecting him to turn the franchise around it wasn't happening.

 

[2020 Cup Champions]

I think it would be good for Edmonton to have some cap space available given the talent that could make it to UFA this year, but this isn't the way to do it.