Oilers’ Decade of Darkness-Ending Team: Where Are They Now? – The Hockey Writers – Oilers History

If you are a long-time Edmonton Oilers fan, you have suffered through the “Decade of Darkness” from 2006 to 2016, when the team failed to make the playoffs. At the time, this 10-year stretch tied the NHL record for the longest playoff drought…until the Buffalo Sabres took sole possession of that.

In 2016-17, a young Oilers team surprised everyone in just Connor McDavid’s first full season in the league, making it to Game 7 of the second round. They should have gone further, but we won’t talk about that today. What you’re here for is the team that ended that drought and where they are now. Let’s kick things off with the players that are still on the roster or in the organization.

Oilers Who Are Still Here

It hasn’t been an extremely long time since the Oilers made that run in 2016-17, but a ton has changed since then. Only four key members remain in the organization. Those members are McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Darnell Nurse.

McDavid and Draisaitl steered the ship back then and are still doing so now. They are as dominant as ever, both during the regular season and playoffs. Nugent-Hopkins wasn’t the scorer he is now, but he is a strong, complete player and leader in Edmonton. Nurse is also a leader and part of the core, regardless of what is thought about him and his contract. He is a big part of what is happening in Edmonton right now but wasn’t nearly as big of a piece back in 2016-17.

Former Oilers Who Are Playing for Different Teams in the NHL

A lot can change in eight years. Players become more expensive, drop off, or just need to move on. Many of the members of the 2016-17 Oilers did just that, whether it was through trades, free agency, or the expansion draft. The players who are still either playing in the NHL or AHL on different teams include Jordan Eberle, Adam Larsson, Matt Benning, Tyler Pitlick, Jesse Puljujarvi, Jordan Oesterle, Cam Talbot, and Jujhar Khaira.

Larsson was taken in the expansion draft by the Seattle Kraken, and it is unfortunate because he is still missed in Edmonton on the right side. He might have been the sole player that came back in the Taylor Hall trade, and it didn’t look good after an MVP campaign by Hall soon after, but Larsson was what the Oilers needed. Eberle happens to be teammates once again with Larsson as he was also taken in…