The Cheshire cat like grin on GM Steve Tambellini's face highlighting the amazing luck that the Oilers seem to have when it comes to bouncing balls, leaving one to wonder if perhaps the Oilers shouldn't be playing the Lotto Max for their arena construction financing plans.
The Oilers win at the lottery ball machine offers up yet another opportunity to increase the blue chip prospect collection that is calling Edmonton home these days. Something that probably won't put Brian Burke in a better frame of mind after his thoughts on the Penguins previous success in getting rewarded for bad hockey seasons.
In this case, the reward most likely will be Nail Yakupov, the young Russian right winger currently playing for the Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting. The Oilers will have the opportunity to call out his name, make another all be it more surprising selection or trade off the pick for more urgent help, when the NHL draft takes place from Pittsburgh June 22-23.While fans in Edmonton may feel a bit of the tinge of missing the playoffs diminished by Mr. Tambellini's good fortune, surely they may one day actually like to not be in the position of being the storyline on the day before the playoffs get underway.
To that deliverance, Mr. Tambellini probably is hoping that those picks of years previous prove wise and helpful towards the goal of the playoffs for 2012-13.
Edmonton Journal-- Oilers Nail No. 1 pick for third straight year
Edmonton Journal-- Draft lottery becoming old hat for Tambellini
Globe and Mail-- Oilers win NHL draft lottery for first overall pick, again
National Post-- Oilers land first draft pick for third straight year
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