The Oilers had the chance to draft Matthew Tkachuk in 2016, but after some horrible scouting decisions, the team opted to go for Jesse Puljujarvi instead. The Edmonton Oilers have missed out on plenty of talented players over the years, but <a href='https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/opinion/oilers-would-be-in-the-cup-final-if-they-drafted-tkachuk-instead-of-puljujarvi' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>one draft oversight came back to haunt them in the Stanley Cup Final.</a> 'Oilers Now' host <a href='https://x.com/Bob_Stauffer' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Bob Stauffer</a> and former Oilers GM Craig MacTavish spoke on Monday about how close the team came to drafting Florida Panthers phenom Matthew Tkachuk. MacTavish recalled Tkachuk's unreal interview with the Oilers before the 2016 draft, even inviting him to his home. He ended up running into <a href='https://www.nhl.com/panthers/player/matthew-tkachuk-8479314' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Tkachuk</a> in St. Louis, where the forward explained to him what was going through his mind during the visit. I was out in St. Louis and ran into Matt, MacTavish reveals. He then said that Tkachuk said this to his Dad (Keith Tkachuk), I told my Dad when I left your house, 'this is the team that I think is going to draft me. I'd love to play here.' <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/CKerneyWriter/status/1899249123758690800'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> <h3>The Oilers also passed up on Mikhail Sergachev to pick Puljujarvi</h3> Edmonton ended up passing over Tkachuk, instead selecting Finnish forward Jesse Puljujarvi. They literally handed Tkachuk on a silver platter to the Calgary Flames, who drafted him, and later traded him to the Panthers. We had the misfortune of having Puljujarvi fall to us, MacTavish explained. Because we were going to take Sergachev. There was a big discussion between Sergachev and Tkachuk. It was almost a positional bias at the time to get a defenseman. Stauffer also disclosed that Tkachuk was highly recommended in the first round by someone outside the organization. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch had also called Stauffer beforehand to provide his take. Kris Knoblauch texted me when the draft lottery results came in, Stauffer revealed. He reportedly said to Stauffer, you guys have to take Tkachuk at 4. He's an absolute painand he's got a lot of skill. It's hard not to wonder how different the Oilers would be if they had chosen Tkachuk. While he has forged a remarkable NHL career by winning the Stanley Cup, <a href='https://www.nhl.com/panthers/player/jesse-puljujarvi-8479344' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Puljujarvi</a> is still finding his way in the league, bouncing around from team to team. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/ev_sporer/status/1805680330185027622'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> All the Oilers can do now is dream about what might have been and look to the future.