make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Chiarelli and Lucic were already familiar with each other, during their time together with the Boston Bruins. On October 5, 19-year-old Connor McDavid was named the 15th captain of the Oilers; McDavid was the youngest team captain in NHL history, having broken the record previously held by current Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. The Oilers made further moves to their roster a few days later, when they traded Nail Yakupov to the St. Louis Blues, and signed free-agent defenceman Kris Russell. The 2016–17 season was a great success for the team. After defeating the Los Angeles Kings 2–1 on March 28, 2017, the Oilers qualified for the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs, ending their 11-year drought. The Oilers finished with a 47–26–9 record, thanks largely to a 100-point season from McDavid and breakout performances from fellow forwards Leon Draisaitl and Patrick Maroon, whilst backstopped with strong play from netminder Cam Talbot. McDavid led the entire league with 70 assists and 100 points, earning himself both the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy, as his team's most valuable player. Talbot also set a new franchise record, with a total of 42 games won by a goaltender, surpassing the 40 games won by Grant Fuhr, during the 1987–88 season. In the first round of the playoffs, the Oilers eliminated the San Jose Sharks, following a 3–1 win in Game 6, to secure their first playoff series win since 2006. Their playoff run was stopped on May 10, losing to the Anaheim Ducks in Game 7 with a 2–1 loss, ending the second round series. In the 2017 off-season, the Oilers traded Jordan Eberle to the New York Islanders, in exchange for forward Ryan Strome, in order to gain salary relief. The Oilers signed both McDavid and Draisaitl to 8-year contracts worth $100 million and $68 million, carrying annual cap hits of $12.5 million and $8.5 million, respectively. The Oilers had high expectations coming into the 2017–18 season, as many expected to make progress off of their surprising year in 2016–17. However, the Oilers regressed, posting a 36–40–6 record and missing the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 seasons. On January 22, 2019, the Oilers terminated Chiarelli's employment as president and general manager. Keith Gretzky was appointed interim general manager the following day. The Oilers again missed the playoffs, posting a 35–38–9 record