The NHL’s Western Conferences Edmonton Oilers’ Off Season Review

Hockeylicious continues its off season analysis by focusing on the Western conferences Edmonton Oilers.  The Oilers finished yet another season just out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Their biggest loss, goaltender Dwayne Roloson, has been replaced by Nikolai Khabibulin, but so far the Oilers’ most remarkable move in the offseason has been being rejected by Ottawa Senators superstar forward Dany Heatley.  The most glaring shortcoming for Edmonton last season was the lack of progress from their young forwards.  Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano and Robert Nilsson were reasons for optimism going into the year and then all three struggled. They weren’t alone, but their inability to produce offensively practically left the Oilers without a second line.

A horrible start to his second season limited Gagner’s production, but he finished strong (21 points in the final 20 games) for the second season in a row, leaving some room for optimism going into next year, but he has to be able to produce right from the get-go; otherwise, the Oilers could be left in the lurch like they were last season.  Similarly, Cogliano’s production dipped slightly in his second season, but his speed makes him a threat offensively and enhances his ability as a checker.  Like the other young Oilers, though, Cogliano simply has to be better next year.  Like fellow young forwards Gagner and Cogliano, Robert Nilsson’s game slipped last season, though he had brief stretches during which he was productive.  He might be better off with a fresh start, either elsewhere or with the new coach in Edmonton.  Shawn Horcoff is ostensibly the Oilers’ number one centre, a prospect that looked much better coming off 50 points in 53 games (2007-2008) than it does coming off a season in which he scored 53 points in 80 games (2008-2009).  Horcoff is a very sound two-way player but his offensive production has ebbed and flowed since lockout, so it’s tough to count on him to anchor the top scoring unit.  On the second line, however, he may be ideal.  Perhaps the only young forward who at least met expectations, Marc Pouliot, had a solid, if unspectacular, season.  Pouliot doesn’t seem to have the offensive flair to be a top six forward, but could carve out a solid career.

When healthy, the Oilers’ blueline is a formidable group.  Lubomir Visnovsky’s season ended in early February, but he was excellent in his first season with the Oilers. His mobility and ability to move the puck helps him dictate the pace of the game and the Oilers’ push for the postseason was obviously hindered when they lost Visnovsky’s 23 minutes per game from the lineup.  Sheldon Souray’s first season in Edmonton may have been a washout, but he was an impact performer last season, scoring 23 goals to tie for second among NHL defencemen.  Souray’s point shot is devastating, no doubt, but just as important for the Oilers was that Souray was a plus player for the first time since the lockout.  25-year-old Denis Grebeshkov was one of the most improved defencemen in the league last season, emerging as a legitimate top four defenceman, particularly with Visnovsky absent in the second half of the season.  Grebeshkov’s emergence also gives the Oilers an abundance of capable offensive defenceman.

Edmonton’s penalty killing was 77.5 percent, ranking them 27th in the league.  That cost them more than 16 goals this season, only the Toronto Maple Leafs penalty killing proved more costly.  This will have to change in order for the Oilers to win a few more close games.  As I mentioned earlier they fell just short of the playoffs last season, a couple more wins and they would have been playing for a chance to win Lord Stanley’s cup.

When it comes to the goaltending situation the Oilers find themselves in decent shape.  They signed Khabibulin to take over the starting role for Dwayne Roloson who left and signed with the New York Islander’s.  So, can the Oilers hypnotize (or con) goaltender Khabibulin into believing that they have an option to dump him and void his deal after each season in his latest four-year contract?  After his reawakening in a contract year with the Chicago Blackhawks, the issue isn’t whether he has anything left; it’s his motivation.  He is 36 years old which is an improvement over Roloson who was just over 40.  Edmonton hopes he plays like he did in last years playoffs.  If he gives a repeat performance this season then the Oilers will be very competitive.  As for the backup role, Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers only got seven starts with the Oilers, with none coming from December 1 through April 9, so it’s hard to know how good he can be. Although  Drouin-Deslauriers will have a more significant backup role, with 20 starts in the plan, for next season.  This should help keep Khabibulin fresh throughout the year.

They aren’t that far away, but it’s time the Oilers went into a season with more than enough talent on hand, rather than hoping they have enough if everything works out as hoped.