By virtue of being incredibly terrible for incredibly long, the Oilers have managed to amass a prospect pool that rivals few others among NHL clubs. Corey Pronman recently ranked the Edmonton’s prospect group as
the best in the league. That’s even with a history of completely blowing the 2nd Round in the Entry Draft. Keep in mind the last three 2nd Round picks are Marco Roy 2013, Mitch Moroz 2012, and David Musil 2011. Roy just signed an AHL deal with Bakersfield, Moroz debuted with a 9 point season in the AHL, and Musil is generously about 12 or 13 on the depth chart on Defense. The facts are that it’s the best because of the 1st Round picks they’ve made.
I plan on going over the top 10 most important prospects in the Oilers’ organization. This is a little different (though not by much) than going through what I consider are the 10 best prospects in the organization. The key difference is that their ranking is determined both by their potential as well as how much the NHL club needs them to succeed. For example, I believe Iiro Pakarinen is a better prospect than several players on this list but as another winger in an organization flush with them I don’t have him in my top 10 most important prospects.
We kick off the list of top 10 most important prospects with an unlikely name, Jujhar Khaira.
10
Jujhar Khaira was Drafted 63rd Overall in 2012 out of the BCHL. In terms of skill I rank Khaira quite low. Indeed there are many other Oiler prospects who out-class him in that department and it will be what holds him back. What places him in the top 10 most important Oiler prospects isn’t his high end ability though, it’s what he brings to the Center position that many others in the organization simply don’t have: size.
At 6’4” and 215 pounds Khaira is one of the biggest Centers in the system and he is being groomed for a role in the bottom 6. The Oilers as an NHL club are distinctly lacking in size down the middle. Their top 4 pivots this coming year appear to be RNH, McDavid, Lander, and Letestu. The tallest of the bunch is going to be 18 year old Connor McDavid at 6’1” and the heaviest will be Letestu at 199 pounds. When the Oilers match up against the big centers of the Western Conference they should have enough skill to get by (especially if some of the names on this list pan out) but there isn’t anyone that casts a large shadow.
Here are the primary scoring summaries For Khaira dating back to the 2010-2011 season courtesy of HockeyDB.
2010-11 Prince George BCHL 58GP, 10G-32A-42P, 21 PIM
2011-12 Prince George BCHL 54GP, 29G-50A-79P, 69 PIM
2012-13 Michigan Tech WCHA 37GP, 6G-19A-25P, 49 PIM
2013-14 Everett WHL 59GP, 16G-27A-43P, 59 PIM
2013-14 Oklahoma AHL 6GP, 0G-0A-0P, 2 PIM
2014-15 Oklahoma AHL 51GP, 4G-6A-10P, 62 PIM
There’s an alarming lack of offense after he transitioned from Michigan Tech to Everett of the WHL and even more so when he transitioned to his first year pro with the OKC Barons. As mentioned above, this is what will hold him back. However, if he can become a decent defensive-minded pivot he might be well suited in the 4C role for the Oilers.
The high-end potential for Khaira seemed more lofty on his Draft day and it’s disappointing that it now looks like he might only ever be a 4C in the NHL if he makes it, but there’s still time for him to develop and 4C in the NHL is still an important job. Consider Boyd Gordon who was firmly 4th among regular Oiler pivots in TOI/G and yet still held one of the most important roles on the club. Even though it might be a pipedream for Khaira to provide enough offense to hold down a job on the 3rd line that doesn’t mean he can’t be useful.
The team needs someone to emerge as an inexpensive option for the bottom 6 and they need someone who brings something they don’t have in abundance. In that respect Khaira, despite his significant flaws, remains an important prospect to watch. The Oilers need bigger centermen who can play on the PK, win draws, and physically match up against their opponents. Khaira is one of a few players in the system who might one day be able to do that.
What that will require, though, is for Khaira to continue learning how to use his size appropriately. It’s not enough for a player with his limited offensive abilities to just be big. He has to become physically imposing. If he can refine that part of his game he will earn opportunities at the next level. The new GM wants heavy players. Khaira needs to prove he can be a heavy player. If he does then he will leapfrog a lot of prospects who can put the puck in the net more consistently than he can. It’s that simple.
I won’t put any money on him being able to bridge the gap between where he is and where he needs to be to become a regular NHL bottom 6 player, but even if he fails it highlights the importance of having players like him developing in the minor leagues. The Oil can’t go chasing Coke Machines but at the same time they need some size to diversify their forwards. It’s a catch 22 that there isn’t any escaping from. That’s why they need the big men they draft to start panning out.
The Oilers’ struggles beyond the 1st round cannot be overlooked when we discuss the importance of some of these prospects. With so many high end prospects and current players the Oilers will need role players who can contribute at controlled costs. The more of those kinds of players they can develop in-house the better. Jujhar Khaira is not in the top 10 Oiler prospects based on skill, yet the role he is being groomed for and the physical tools he possesses place him 10th on my list of most important Oiler prospects.
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