Oilers coach Tom Renney may be wondering if his team's rash of injuries is actually a good thing.
I've never seen a coach take more injuries with a less pained look on his face than Tom Renney has this year with Edmonton.
Hey, Tom you just lost your captain for eight weeks, your top goalie for six games, your top forward for 10 straight, your top player for at least a month or more. How does that feel?
His response is about the same every time. No tears, no need to take his shoelaces away or keep him away from any hotel ledges because Renney is fine and so are the Oilers... I think.
This all has to do with that darn lottery draft and getting a pick in the top five or maybe as high as the top three if the Oilers continue on this pace for points. Hard to believe anybody could finish lower than New Jersey, but after that Edmonton is in a group of teams with the New York Islanders, Toronto, Buffalo, Florida and maybe even Ottawa.
Under "normal circumstances" a coach of a team would be devastated to lose all of the above but in this case it helps Edmonton lose. And not only that but the development of youth should happen faster with all the extra opportunities thanks to injuries.
Please don't think that I'm suggesting that the Oilers coach should goes into games hoping for hurt to be inflicted on his players. But when he comes out of them with one or two less bodies the coach just says onward and forward for this team and organization.
So losing players might mean losing games but not losing sight of the man with a plan to help Edmonton get back to the top.
NOTE: As a results of recent injuries, the Oilers on Monday recall forwards Linus Omark and Liam Reddox from the Oklahoma City Barons of the American Hockey League. Omark of course made headlines last month for his spin move on a shootout goal in a previous stint with the big club.
