On this day in 2014, the Oilers acquire forward Derek Roy from Predators

Roy was once a leading scorer with the Buffalo Sabres, the team that drafted him 32nd overall in the 2001 draft. In 2007-08, Roy was the talk of Buffalo, scoring 32 goals and 81 points, and his production continued the following two years. 

Unfortunately, when the 2010-11 campaign started, Roy didn’t look like a top scorer, and his production was cut in half. 

He played for four other teams in the span of three seasons before making his way to the Oilers, and in each new city, he struggled to find double digits in terms of goal scoring. 

When he finally joined the Oilers, he found an unexpected linemate in forward Nail Yakupovco. Not only did Roy see double digits with 11 goals that season, but Yakupov reignited his confidence thanks to playing alongside Roy. 

“It took us a couple of games to get used to each other and now we’re pretty comfortable,” Yakupov told the Edmonton Sun‘s Robert Tychkowski.

“It’s easy to play with him. He can move the puck and he’s really smart. All I have to do if try to get open for a shot.”

Roy recorded 11 goals and 22 points across 46 games with the Oilers in 2014-15. The following season, he opted to take his skills to the National League in Switzerland to play for the SC Bern. In 2021, Roy made one final decision that would alter his hockey career for good, announcing that he was retiring in May. 

Roy scored 189 goals and 524 points across 738 games in 11 years in the NHL. He posted most of his numbers with the Sabres during his eight years with the organization. He spent the remainder of his career appearing in parts of seasons with the Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, Blues, Predators, and Oilers.

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