Can the Edmonton Oilers improve on last season?
The biggest question Edmonton Oilers fans have for the upcoming season is: can their team improve? The Oilers made several changes in the off-season and enter the 2010-11 campaign with a much younger side. Nevertheless, a lot still remains the same for a
club that only managed to claim 27 wins and 62 points last season.
The Oilers were terrible in 2009-10; the club finished last in goal-against per game and 27th in goals per game. In addition, the squad was also 26th in the League on the penalty kill and allowed the fourth most shots on goals per game.
The club’s top scorer was Dustin Penner with 63 points, who was followed by Sam Gagner who only managed 41. Outside of Penner, no one on the team scored more than 20 goals and only Gilbert Brule scored more than 15.
Nevertheless, Oilers fans do have a great deal to look forward to. Edmonton has one of the youngest teams in the National Hockey League and although it may not help them this season, it will certainly help down the road. In addition, the club also got some
of the worst goaltending in the League from youngsters Jeff Deslauriers and Devan Dubnyk, who were filling in for an injured Nikolai Khabibulin.
It is true that the Oilers have several things to look forward to in the coming season. Nevertheless, the task remains difficult for Edmonton. The club finished 12 points behind the 29th placed Toronto Maple Leafs and 17 points behind the next
best team in the Western Conference, the Columbus Blue Jackets. These totals make it very difficult for Edmonton to get out of the basement and if fans are simply looking for their Oilers to finish out of 30th in the League, they may have to wait
yet another season.
With that said, Edmonton should improve on last season’s 62 points. The club may be slightly hurt by an impressive Western Conference, but should be helped by playing in one of the League's worst divisions. The Northwest division would have been considered
the class of the League four seasons ago. However, in recent years it has taken a major hit.
The Minnesota Wild have fallen from a perennial play-off challenger to a struggling franchise. In addition, the Calgary Flames have slowly declined and have now missed the play-offs two years in a row. The Colorado Avalanche surprised everyone last season,
finishing eighth in the conference. However, many experts are predicting they will come back down to earth in 2010-11. The strongest team in the division is the Vancouver Canucks, who should breeze to a third consecutive division title. Therefore the downfall
of the Northwest should help the Oilers steal a couple more games this season.
The Oilers could also be aided by a healthy line-up. Although it is impossible to predict when injuries will take place the club is fully healthy at the moment. Last season Edmonton only had three players play the entire schedule and with names such as Alex
Hemsky, Ryan Whitney and Khabibulin playing a full season, the club should be able to scrounge together a few more victories.
Moreover, what fans are so excited about now is the intangibles that Edmonton has heading into this season. The club has shed itself of dead weight, releasing players such as Ethan Moreau and Patrick O’Sullivan and replacing them with highly touted prospects.
Although it is unlikely, Hall, Eberle and Pajaarvi will all break out for 70 points this season. This possibility has everyone in Edmonton very excited for 2010-11.
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