TSN, Canada’s all-sports television network aired yesterday’s NHL Draft Lottery. The first 14 picks were ordered for the draft to take place on June 25 and 26, while the remaining 16 selections will be determined by the playoffs. After the climatic moment where the No. 1 picking team was revealed to be the Oilers, the program cut to a shot of Edmontonians celebrating in a bar. Did anybody tell these guys they finished in a convincing last place in all of hockey?

The good news is that Edmonton will have their choice between the top two prospects in Tyler Seguin and Taylor Hall. The bad news is that Oilers fans will have to suffer through at least one more season of mediocrity. Not once in the last decade has a team with the No. 1 pick made the playoffs the following season. Not even John Tavares, last year’s top draft, could help the Islanders get within reach of the postseason. As a result, the Islanders have the fifth pick at this year’s draft in Los Angeles.

Oilers General Manager Steve Tambellini called it a “significant moment” in his organization’s rebuilding plan. It’s the first time that Edmonton has ever had the first overall pick. He, like all franchises in a position like his, has said he won’t announce whether they’ll take Seguin or Hall. Regardless which player they get, they get better with that player. But it’s still going to take a couple of years before Edmonton will be talking playoff hockey again.

Getting the first overall pick in an Entry Draft is a good moment for any franchise. However, it does not guarantee success. But for the Oilers, they need this pick like no other team, having finished a whopping 12 points behind the next worst team in the league. The next largest margin between teams was first-place Washington, who finished eight points above San Jose. This is the first step in a long rebuild process for Edmonton, but hopefully it will turn out to be a good step for them as well.