The Edmonton Oilers make five selections at the 2018 NHL Draft in Dallas, Texas.

Evan Bouchard fell to them at 10th overall, making him the fourth defenceman to get in the top ten behind Rasmus Dahlin (1st overall, Buffalo Sabres), Quinn Hughes (7th overall, Vancouver Canucks), and Adam Boqvist (8th overall, Chicago Blackhawks). Aside from Boqvist, it’s safe to say Buffalo, Vancouver, and Edmonton are satisfied with what they got.

Teams hope to hit on a couple more picks as the draft continues, and, fortunately, the Oilers did. With the 40th overall pick, Edmonton selected Ryan McLeod from the Mississauga Steelheads. McLeod was projected to be a late first-round pick, with Bob McKenzie, from TSN, ranking him as the 22nd best skater in the class. The NHL also had him as the 16th-ranked skater in North America.

“One of the most fascinating players in this draft class,” said Sam Constantino of Sportsnet in 2018. “At this point, the parts are greater than the sum. If and when it all comes together, you have a player who should impact the game at the next level.”

“Growing up, Ryan Smyth was my favourite player, so I’ve always been a huge Oilers fan,” said Ryan McLeod to 630CHED after getting drafted by the Oilers. “I remember watching them during the 2006 [Stanley] Cup run. I was a massive Ryan Smyth and Oilers fan. Obviously, they’ve had such a great franchise for so many years, and I’ve known Paul Coffey too, so I just know the roots.”

With 219 regular season games and a trip to the Stanley Cup Final on his resume, it’s safe to say McLeod has impacted the game at the NHL level. He scored 32 goals and 75 points for the Oilers as a bottom-six centreman while playing behind two of the best players in the world: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. McLeod had some moments in the playoffs, too, scoring goals in Games 3 and 4 of the Final versus the Florida Panthers.

Despite showing promise, McLeod’s time with the Oilers ended a few weeks ago. Interim general manager Jeff Jackson traded McLeod to the Buffalo Sabres, along with Tyler Tullio, in exchange for former 9th overall pick Matthew Savoie.

McLeod was a polarizing figure to many Oilers fans due to his lack of physicality and offensive inconsistencies. Similar to Jesse Puljujarvi, but not as intensely debated, the analytics proved that McLeod was a strong defensive centreman for the Oilers. Since his first full season, 2021-22, McLeod was on the ice for only 83 goals against at 5-on-5, which was the fourth fewest by a forward who played more than 1000 minutes over that time. McLeod played 2362:30 in 209.

Was McLeod frustrating at times? 100%. However, Oilers fans will miss him more than they’ll realize. He was a reliable penalty killer, gifted with speed, and could chip into the top six from time to time. The engagement to physicality and offensive dips plagued him and likely played a role in his departure.

Either way, for a 40th overall pick, the Oilers got a lot out of him during his time here.