The Edmonton Oilers have the 29th overall pick in Round 1 of the NHL Entry Draft, which will be held Thursday night in Montreal.
The Oilers do not have a pick in rounds two, three and four.
There has been speculation the Oilers would try to trade their first rounder to recover picks in those rounds, however, general manager and president of hockey operations Ken Holland doesn’t consider that a likely scenario.
“I’m expecting we’re going to make a pick,” he said Wednesday. “We’re not going to trade up. I don’t think anybody wants to look to trade up to 29 today.
“You get somebody falling, the phone rings, we’ll explore it at the time. Right now, I’m expecting we’re going to make a pick at 29.”
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The next couple of weeks will be busy. The draft concludes Friday and free agency opens on July 13.
Holland will be tinkering with a roster that went to NHL’s West Final.
The Oilers are currently short at least one goaltender. Mikko Koskinen has signed in Switzerland while Mike Smith’s future is up in the air.
“I met with Smitty (and) had breakfast with him the other day. He’s banged up pretty bad,” Holland said.
“In the next 10 days, I’d like to have something done in net.”
Holland said it’s more likely he would add a goalie via free agency as opposed to a trade.
The Oilers are also waiting for a resolution to Evander Kane’s contract grievance with the San Jose Sharks. It likely won’t be ironed out until after free agency opens. Holland has remained in contact with Kane’s agent Dan Milstein.
“I’ve had lots of talks,” Holland said. “We’re tight on the cap.
“Many, many teams are tight on the cap. We’re all going to have to get to a certain place, maybe the 13th of July, and see what’s going on.”
Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland speaks to the media before the NHL Draft in Montreal on July 6, 2022.
Photo courtesy Edmonton Oilers