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Matthew Tkachuk Says He’s Sure Edmonton Oilers Almost Drafted Him

Is it true that Matthew Tkachuk almost became an Edmonton Oilers player?

Imagine now how things would be different if the Edmonton Oilers had taken Matthew Tkachuk in the at the 2016 NHL Draft instead of Jesse Puljujarvi? Yes, we know hindsight is 20/20 and not every fan loves re-visting something that didn’t happen, but it’s an interesting question considering Tkachuk’s recent comments.

On Saturday, the popular but edgy Calgary Flames forward appeared on TSN’s OverDrive and discussed a number things, including his day at the NHL Draft and the process by which he was selected #6 overall by the Calgary Flames. Among the interesting things he brought up, it’s that he didn’t think he was going to get to the Flames because he was certain the Edmonton Oilers were going to take him first.

Tkachuk explains:

During the draft, on the draft floor, it was kind of a weird moment where some people at the Edmonton table, you could ask them they would probably deny it, but they’re kind of staring me down and kind of giving me some smiles. The only people that saw it were me and my mom so we’re like ‘alright, we’re going to Edmonton.’

While Tkachuk says the Oilers may deny it now, in his defense, there was a lot of buzz at the time that Edmonton had interest in him. But, the draft took an interesting turn. He goes on to say:

Then Pierre-Luc Dubois went third-overall and the phone started to ring like crazy at the Edmonton table and they threw the jersey under the table and it looked like they stripped off a name and gave it to Puljujarvi with the next pick.

Tkachuk is right in that few people expected Dubois to get drafted so early. When he did, it left Puljujarvi open for the Oilers and while it’s turned out not to be the greatest pick the team has ever made, at the time, Puljujarvi was a consensus top-three draft prospect. The Oilers couldn’t believe they had the chance to take him and did so quickly.

What Could Have Been

These days, Tkachuk is a polarizing character in Edmonton. Most Oilers fans can’t stand him because of how he targets the team and they play one another so often. At the same time, most of those fans would love to have him on the Oilers roster.

Had things gone a little differently, who knows what might have happened. Tkachuk has gone on to be an important player for the Flames while Puljujarvi sits out and waits to be traded. Offer that option for trade the Oilers today, and they probably jump at it. (salary cap considerations aside).

Related: Oilers Interested in Re-Signing Both Riley Sheahan and Tyler Ennis

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