Edmonton Oilers trying with youth in 2010-11
The Edmonton Oilers will once again try to compete in the strong Western Conference with a bevy of young talent in 2010-11.
The Oilers struggled mightily last season, unable to get a game plan together and not being able to find scoring or goaltending anywhere in their line-up. The club languished at the bottom of the standings all year, finishing with a mere 62 points, a full 12 points behind the second last place team.
The team’s top scorer was Dustin Penner with a meagre 63 points, followed by Sam Ganger who could only muster 41.
Last season it was made clear that the Oilers were in the re-building stage, and this season is no different. It is a long road to the top of the Western Conference, and the Oilers have another long season ahead of them.
Roster Changes
The Oilers waved goodbye to many of their forwards from last season, in order to make room for their youngsters.
They let Fernando Pisani, Mike Comrie and Patrick O’Sullivan all walk, while on defence the club welcomed Jim Vandermeer and Kurtis Foster in order to fill out the backend.
Forwards
More than anywhere else the Oilers youth is best represented in their forwards. With an average team age of 26.48, Edmonton’s forward group should feature three rookies in 2010-11.
The first line will be made up of Penner, Shawn Horcoff, and Ales Hemsky. However, this is not a ‘lights-out’ first unit and could be subject to change early in the season.
The second line will house Sam Gagne, first overall pick Taylor Hall, and Gilbert Brule. The third line is made up of Andrew Cogliano, rookie Jordan Eberle, and Swedish youngster Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson. Finally the fourth line should be up in the air until after camp, with the only sure-thing being tough guy Zack Stortini.
Defence
It is unclear whether or not veteran, and often injured defenceman, Sheldon Souray will be traded, nevertheless as of right now he is slotted to appear in the team’s first defensive pair with Ryan Whitney.
The second pair will house Tom Gilbert and Ladislav Smid, while veteran Vandermeer could find himself with Foster on the squad’s last defensive unit.
Goalie
The Oilers currently have a logjam in the goaltending position. They have three goalies signed to one-way National Hockey League contracts and another capable goalie signed to a two-way deal.
Nikolai Khabibulin, Devan Dubnyk and Jeff Drouin-Delauriers are all signed to one-way contracts, while Martin Gerber is signed to the two-way deal.
The Oilers are expected to move one of Dubnyk or Drouin-Deslauriers, but it remains unclear. Even more uncertain is the readiness of Khabibulin who could be facing jail time for a driving under the influence charge in Arizona over the summer. Needless-to-say the Oilers are not clear on who will start when puck drops in October.
How will the Oilers fare
It is unlikely that the Oilers will garner much more success in the 2010-11 campaign that they did in 2009-10. The Western Conference is simply too strong, and the Oilers have too many question marks in every position.
Nevertheless, Oilers fan can look forward to watching the future of their franchise. One can expect Hall to impress a great deal, as he has already been pegged as a favourite for the Calder Trophy awarded to the League’s top rookie. In addition, Eberle, and Paajarvi-Svensson are both prized prospects and should entertain fans with their offensive flare, and continued growth throughout the season.
The Oilers can expect to once again finish at the bottom of the standings, however this time around they should earn more than 62 points. They ought to put up more of a fight in the Western Conference, although still do not have the prime-aged, and veteran players to really compete.
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