If the Oilers Had Drafted Matthew Tkachuk, Not Jesse Puljujärvi
There are draft mistakes, and then there are history-changing draft mistakes. For the Edmonton Oilers, the 2016 NHL Draft might quietly sit in that second category. Of course, hindsight is hockey’s favourite game. At the time, taking Jesse Puljujärvi at No. 4 looked like a gift from the hockey gods. The big Finnish winger unexpectedly slid down the board, and Oilers fans were thrilled. Meanwhile, Matthew Tkachuk ended up falling to the Calgary Flames at No. 6.
Tkachuk would have been a stronger pick.
Fast forward a few years, and it’s hard not to wonder: what exactly would have been different if Edmonton had taken Tkachuk instead? Here are three things that almost certainly change.
Change 1. The Oilers would have been harder to play against much earlier.
This one feels obvious. For years, the Oilers had Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl doing superhuman things offensively, but when playoff hockey tightened up, Edmonton often looked like it needed more edge. More nuisance and chaos. That’s basically Matthew Tkachuk’s entire hockey personality.
Imagine prime Tkachuk parked in front of the net while McDavid slices through the neutral zone. Imagine him stirring the pot after whistles, winning ugly puck battles, and making life miserable in playoff series. The Oilers spent years trying to find that player. Evander Kane brought parts of it. Zach Hyman brought parts of it. But Tkachuk? He is that player. And he would’ve been doing it in Edmonton at 19 years old.
Change 2. The Battle of Alberta would have looked completely different.
This one is almost funny to think about. Instead of Oilers fans absolutely despising Tkachuk in a Flames jersey, he might have become one of the most beloved players in Edmonton. Remember all those games where he got under everybody’s skin? The Zack Kassian feud? The scrums? The drama? Now imagine all of that happening for Edmonton instead of against them.
The Battle of Alberta loses one of its biggest villains. Calgary probably looks very different, too, because Tkachuk became a huge emotional identity for the Flames before eventually becoming a blockbuster trade asset. One draft pick changed both franchises.
Change 3. There’s a real chance Edmonton would have won more playoff games.
Tkachuk is built for playoff hockey. We’ve seen it in Calgary. We’ve for sure seen it in Florida. Big moments, ugly goals, emotional swings — he thrives in all of it. Could he have changed Edmonton’s playoff outcomes? Maybe not all of them.
But the 2021 sweep by Winnipeg? The years when the Oilers felt too easy to push around? Even some of those deep playoff runs that came up short? You can absolutely picture Tkachuk changing a series with one hit, one goal, or one moment of chaos.
Puljujärvi never became a difference-maker for the Oilers.
Meanwhile, Puljujärvi never quite found his fit. He was a hard worker and a good teammate. But sometimes hockey comes down to timing, fit, and the kind of player a team actually needs. And in hindsight, Tkachuk might have been exactly what Edmonton didn’t realize it was missing.
Sometimes one draft pick doesn’t just change a roster. Sometimes it changes a franchise.