The Edmonton Oilers are last.
I don’t mean in the standings but in the schedule. Edmonton will be the last team to hit the ice on Sunday night when they’re in Vancouver to start the shortened season.
Last is a four letter word that strikes fear into Oiler fans. The team has been last or second-last the previous three years. I‘m here to tell you that will not be the case this year. In fact, this isn’t the first time or the last time you’ll hear me say it or write it. The Edmonton Oilers will make the playoffs.
It seems ridiculous to think that it could happen but I believe it will. The reasons are many but here’s a few of them in no particular order.
Up front talent
The abundance of talent is just too much to deny them from the post-season. Here are your top two lines. The names are Eberle, Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, Hemsky, Yakupov and Gagner. I don’t believe there is another team that has a better top six in the league.
This is one of those teams that look great on paper but I think it’s going to translate onto the ice. Edmonton scored 212 goals last year. Eighteen teams scored more than they did. I’d say this year they finish in top five in goals.
Lockout Experience
The Oilers, because they wanted to and because they had to, were very busy during the lockout. Eight of the 12 projected forwards played during the lockout. The biggest advantage in this area goes to the Hall-RNH-Eberle line. They played together for a couple of months before RNH went to the World Juniors. They played in the AHL which is the closest you can get to the NHL without actually playing there. On defence, half of those expected to be on the blue-line also were in action, which should give the Oilers a head start to the season.
Justin Schultz
It’s always tough to live up to expectations, especially when your minor league coach compares you to Scott Neidermayer. However, this kid might be able to do it.
Don’t expect Neidermayer but you can expect a smooth-skating, offensive-minded, skilled blueliner who was highly sought after this summer. The fact he started his pro career so seamlessly with Oklahoma City and had half a season to adjust should help make the move to Edmonton a little easier.
Health
It’s been a dreadful stretch for Edmonton when it comes to injuries. A lot of Oilers have been hurt and they have been at the top end of the skill scale. Names like Hall, Hemsky and Nugent-Hopkins.
Hall hasn’t finished the last two seasons. Neither has Hemsky and RNH had a quarter of last season washed away. If, and it’s a big IF, those three and others don’t miss more than a game or two that should boost the team’s point total automatically.
Goaltending
It‘s an area that gets the most attention for all the wrong reasons. Every other area has been boosted in Edmonton. In net, it’s status quo.
It might sound bad but I don’t think it will be.
First off, Devan Dubnyk was 20-20-3 on a 29th place team. His save percentage was .916 and goals against average 2.67. If he keeps those numbers and my first reason does what is expected then netminding won’t be an issue. Also Nikolai Khabibulin will provide a complimentary 1B to Dubnyk. At 40, I think the less he plays the more he’ll provide in this jam-packed schedule.
The time has come for Edmonton to prove the renovation of this team is over; that all the pain and suffering has ended. The time for playoffs has returned for the first time since 2006.
This season the Oilers will make a lasting impression that will be much better than the one they made over the last few years.