With the hockey season on its way, we at PKLC have decided to do previews from as many teams as we can (if we still care about it after 14 days) today we move to the Edmonton Oilers.
(zimbio.com)
What Happened Last Year
2009-10 Record - 27-47-8 - 62 pts
5th in Northwest Division
15th in Western Conference
I don't even have to mention where they ended up in the overall league standings. The season started with the usual bouts of optimism in the City of Champions. I head crazy things like 'division titles' and 'playoff appearances.' (such delusions.) The season for the Oilers derailed quite quickly as Ales Hemsky went down early in the season, his shoulder requiring season ending surgery. It was a train wreck from then on for the boys in retro 80's uniforms. Once prized defenseman Sheldon Souray seemed to once again be made of glass as he played only 37 games. Big money goalie Nikolai Khabibulin was also sidelined with a back injury and backup Jeff Deslauries was thrust into the starting role. As you might have guessed, the Oilers total man games lost to injury number was high. 494 to man games to be exact. (Colorado was second with 340) As a result, a number of Springfield Falcons got their taste of the NHL including Taylor Chorney, Alex Plante and Ryan O'marra.
Fan whipping boy Shawn Horcoff again flushed $5 million down the toilet, posting a +/- number of -29 (which pales compared to Patrick O'sullivan's -35.) I could go on and on about what went wrong this season, but we'll skip to the good stuff. (it's not much) The lone bright spot of the season (besides its merciful end) was the emergence of Dustin Penner. Having been criticized by both fans and media for not playing up to his contract, Penner stepped up big last season, posting 32 goals and 63 points, both career highs.
As you might have expected, they missed the playoffs for a 4th consecutive year, the Fall for Hall was complete.
Edmonton...Do I HAVE To? (key offseason acquisitions)
Taylor Hall
Steve Macintyre
Martin Gerber
Catching The Earliest Flight Out of Oil Country (see yah later)
The Oilers Training Staff
Pat Quinn*
Mike Comrie
Fernando Pisani
Patrick O'sullivan
Ethan Moreau
Robert Nillson
Nikolai Khabibulin (he's in jail, so for now we'll put him here)
*Quinn actually named Senior Hockey Advisor joining Kevin Lowe in the office of 'People the Oilers Can't Fire.'
The Season Ahead
The Oilers are armed to the hilt with young talent, and with that, comes lofty expectations. The same crowd that looks for playoff runs and division titles year after year, have turned to the rookies, pointed to the Stanley Cup banners and said 'THEY DID IT, SO CAN YOU.' This, frankly, isn't going to happen. At least not this season. I think finishing in the 10-13 bunch of the West should be considered an accomplishment for this young club. The rebuild is on (for what seems like the millionth time in Edmonton, but at least they're doing it right..for once) and there could be more seasons like last years ahead, but the future looks bright, the Oilers will be an exciting team to watch grow together.
Looking to Lead
(edmontonjournal.com)
Taylor Hall - even though I bash the kid, he's going to be the face of this club for years to come.
(fans.oilers.nhl.com)
Jordan Eberle - If you're canadian, or a fan of Canadian hockey, and you don't know who Jordan Eberle is, here's a video (complete with Pierre McGuire ruining that call) and there's the door. Already touted as a Calder finalist, look for him to put up sizeable numbers.
(oilers.nhl.com)
Sam Gagner - coming off a freshly signed 2 year deal for money he really didn't deserve, Gagner is looking to build on the 41 points he amassed last season, he'll have a lot of help this year.
The PKLC Prediction
4th in the Northwest
13th in the Conference
missing the playoffs
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