The 2025 National Hockey League Draft is taking place on Friday and Saturday at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
Going into the first round, the Edmonton Oilers had just four selections in this year’s draft. Notably, they do not own a pick in either the first or second round. These missing selections are a result of previous trades made by the front office in pursuit of roster improvements and cap flexibility.
Why Edmonton Doesn’t Have First- or Second-Round Picks
The Edmonton Oilers enter the 2025 NHL Draft without a selection in the first or second round due to a series of trades made over the past two seasons.
The team’s 2025 first-round pick was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2024 NHL Draft. Edmonton made the move to trade up and select Sam O’Reilly at No. 32 overall, giving up its future first-rounder to get him.
As for the second-round pick, the Oilers originally received one from the St. Louis Blues in the Philip Broberg trade but later moved that pick to the Boston Bruins in exchange for forward Trent Frederic.
FREDDY‼️
The #Oilers have signed forward Trent Frederic to an eight-year contract extension with an average annual value of $3.85 million.#LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/HO1afzlRsR
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 27, 2025
These two trades left the Oilers without selections in the top two rounds of this year’s draft. Additionally, their 2026 first-round pick was traded to the San Jose Sharks in the Jake Walman deal ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, reducing flexibility for any major trade-ups this year.
While it’s still possible Edmonton could make moves during the draft, particularly to free up salary cap space, trading back into the first round appears unlikely. With Evander Kane already traded and Viktor Arvidsson now reportedly on the trade block, the Oilers are clearly focused on reshaping their roster while navigating tight cap constraints.
What Picks the Oilers Do Have
Despite lacking top-round picks, the Oilers still hold four total selections for the 2025 Draft. Their first pick will come in the third round, courtesy of the St. Louis Blues, acquired as compensation for signing restricted free agent Dylan Holloway last offseason.
Their next pick comes in the fourth round, and the story of that selection is a winding one. Originally belonging to the Ottawa Senators, the pick was acquired by Edmonton as part of the Roby Jarventie trade, then transferred to the Vancouver Canucks in the Vasily Podkolzin deal, before returning to Edmonton in the Kane trade earlier this week.
The Oilers also hold additional later-round selections, giving them some flexibility to address depth in the pipeline, even if the top-end talent may be out of reach without a first- or second-rounder.
Edmonton Oilers’ Picks in the 2025 NHL Draft
- Round 1 – No. 31 overall: Traded to the Philadelphia Flyers (June 2024)
- Round 2 – No. 63 overall: Traded to the Arizona Coyotes (June 2022)
- Round 3 – No. 83 overall: Acquired from the St. Louis Blues (August 2024)
- Round 3 – No. 95 overall: Traded to the San Jose Sharks (August 2024)
- Round 4 – No. 117 overall: Acquired from the Vancouver Canucks (June 2025)
- Round 4 – No. 127 overall: Traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning (March 2024)
- Round 5 – No. 159 overall: Traded to the Anaheim Ducks (March 2024)
- Round 6 – No. 191 overall: Owned
- Round 7 – No. 223 overall: Owned
It appears unlikely that the Oilers will trade into the first round of the 2025 Draft. As mentioned previously, they’ve already moved their 2026 first-round pick to the Sharks ahead of this year’s trade deadline in exchange for Walman, further limiting future flexibility.
However, Edmonton could still make moves during the draft’s first day. With cap space at a premium, especially with expected pay raises for Evan Bouchard and Leon Draisaitl, management is reportedly exploring options to clear room. Arvidsson appears to be the most likely trade candidate following the Kane trade earlier this week.
I would rather see the Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals every year than watching them go after 1st or 2nd round picks that more than likely won’t help them for a few years down the road.