The NHL Draft begins tonight, and as things stand, the Edmonton Oilers won’t make their first selection until No. 52 overall.

Picking at No. 52 could change at a moment’s notice, as the Oilers could use the pick as part of a trade package or attempt to move up in the draft. Yet, as it stands, they still own the pick, and Liam Horrobin recently made a case for what they should do with it, suggesting the Oilers select Edmonton Oil Kings’ defenceman Ethan MacKenzie at that spot after he put up 58 points in 59 games in the WHL last season.

With that in mind, since the Oilers still hold the pick, let’s take a look at the five best players ever taken at No. 52 overall.

Sean Durzi

Defenceman Sean Durzi was selected 52nd overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2018 NHL Draft, but was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in January 2019, along with Carl Grundstrom and a 2019 first-round pick, in exchange for blueliner Jake Muzzin.

Durzi developed into a decent point producer from the back end, registering 65 points in 136 regular-season games with the Kings from 2021-23. He also appeared in 13 playoff games over two seasons with the Kings, all against the Oilers, including a series in which former Oiler Zack Kassian was fined for delivering a vicious cross-check to the blueliner’s back.

Durzi was then traded to the Arizona Coyotes in June 2023 in exchange for a second-round draft pick, where he put up a career-best 41 points during the 2023-24 season and, fun fact, scored the very last goal in Coyotes franchise history before the team moved to Utah, putting home an empty-netter against the Oilers in a 5-2 Coyotes victory.

Now a Utah Mammoth, Durzi has registered 144 regular-season points in 302 games, and has a 0.48 points-per-game average — the highest of any player selected 52nd overall in NHL Draft history.

Sandy McCarthy

Former enforcer Sandy McCarthy was drafted by the Calgary Flames 52nd........

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