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2012 lottery: Oilers get top pick for third year in a row

Chicago Blackhawks  v Edmonton Oilers

EDMONTON, CANADA - NOVEMBER 19: Taylor Hall #4 and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins #93 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrate Shawn Horcoff’s goal against the Chicago Blackhawks on November 19, 2011 at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Dale MacMillan/Getty Images)

Dale MacMillan

Brian Burke had some rather pointed things to say about the Pittsburgh Penguins “model” - which essentially came down to being very bad for a very long time to stock up on draft picks - but the Edmonton Oilers have a chance to prove or disprove it in a big way. The Edmonton Oilers won the 2012 NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday, giving them the No. 1 overall pick for three consecutive seasons.

The Oilers moved up from second place in the draft positioning, beating out the Columbus Blue Jackets, who held a 25 percent chance to take the top spot after recording the worst record in the NHL. Here’s what the draft will look like - at least before trades and other maneuvering takes place.

1 - Edmonton
2 - Columbus
3 - Montreal
4 - NY Islanders
5 - Toronto
6 - Anaheim
7 - Minnesota
8 - Carolina
9 - Winnipeg
10 - Tampa Bay
11 - Washington (via COL)
12 - Buffalo
13 - Dallas
14 - Calgary

In 2010, the Oilers opted to draft winger Taylor Hall instead of center Tyler Seguin. In last year’s draft, Edmonton chose slick playmaking center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins instead of defenseman Adam Larsson.

Which direction should the Oilers go in this year, then? Should they pick Nail Yakupov, the widely-held No. 1 prospect? Should Edmonton instead address the most obvious area of need by adding the best defenseman available? Or perhaps the Oil might be wisest to trade the pick for multiple choices or an immediate improvement?

We’ll have more on this subject soon, but in the mean time, let us know what you think Edmonton and the rest of the lottery teams should consider.