Edmonton Oilers Draft Preview

Stop and think for a minute—tell me what you think of when you think of the Edmonton Oilers. I think of a young talented team that keeps falling short of the playoffs. It’s great to have youth and it’s great to have potential, but where is this team going? Are they a team that’s ready to make the jump to the 6th or 7th seed in the Western Conference or will this collection of skilled young players continue to flounder as other teams start to pass them by? It’s about time that these young players (O’Sullivan, Cogliano, I’m looking at you) start producing at the level that is expected—or the hope that Oilers fans have could prove to be completely unfounded and an awful waste of time.

These are questions that could get you to chase your tail for hours. Will they get better if they gain more experience? Or is this all that this particular collection of players is capable of producing? See, this is why we have guys like Mr. @WanyeGretz from Oilers Nation to help us out (note: that’s Wanye like Kanye, not to be confused with a certain #99).

Raise your hand if you need to start producing!

1. What was the Oilers biggest strength last season?
For a team that was touted as contenders for the Northwest Division by former Coach Craig MacTavish prior to the start of the season, the Oilers managed to find a way to completely flop their way out of the top eight in the Western Conference down the stretch and miss the playoffs for the third season in a row. The play of 85 year old Dwayne Roloson can be considered a plus as well as the absence of injuries to any of the fans attending a game at Rexall Place during the entire 82 game season. Outside of those two facts little from last year can be considered positive.

2. What was the biggest weakness last season?
The list of underperforming Oilers is so long that it would literally consisist of all active Oilers roster players, the AHL and ECHL affiliates, any and all players drafted in the last 15 years and the majority of the arena staff here in Edmonton. Things were that disappointing last season. Plus Dustin Penner is a lazy bum and Robert Nilsson is softer than freshly baked bread.

3. What was the biggest strength of the pipeline/young players?
The Oilers have billed themselves as a young and fast team in rebuilding mode for the past 31 years. The upcoming roster for next season is no different. The likes of Hemsky, Gagner, Cogliano, Gilbert and company can be considered a good core of young players. Whether they decide as a group to raise the bar of expectations remains to be seen. New Coaching staff should help the youth of the Oilers develop in the coming season.

4. What are the biggest holes in the pipeline/young players?
I think that the Oilers are in dire need of a top 6 forward – preferably a goal scorer to play on the top line with Ales Hemsky. There has been plenty of speculation as to Jagr leaving Russia and joining the Oilers, of late Dany Heatley’s name has been brought up as a potential Oiler. With new owner Daryl Katz promising to spend to the cap each year and the addition of Tom Renney and Pat Quinn as Coaches of the team the Oilers are clearly on the cusp of large scale changes in the offseason. The Oilers are thin at goal – behind starter Dwayne Roloson there is little evidence to suggest an NHL starting calibre goalie exists within the organization.

5. Who do you think your GM will pick?
Generally the Oilers have a penchant for drafting small perimeter wingers that ultimately have little to no impact on the NHL. With Steve Tambellini replacing former GM Kevin Lowe hopefully this trend will end at this year’s draft.

6. Who do you think your team SHOULD pick?
Tavares. But that was an easy one.
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In an interesting turn of fate, I could see Jonathan Tavares falling all the way to the 10th overall pick and the Edmonton Oilers. Of course, we all know that Tavares is way too big and too talented to fit into what the Oilers are trying to do in Alberta. They too would pass on Tavares for someone that better fits their team concept: someone like 5’8 Jordan Schroeder!

Of course, that’s just a joke. We all know that the Oilers get their best players by signing them to offer sheets and giving up 1st, 2nd and 3rd round draft picks! I know that Oiler fans might not agree with this—but I think I speak for the rest of the NHL when I say, “I’m really going to miss Kevin Lowe!”

I, for one, can’t wait to see which direction the Oilers are going to go in this offseason. With Steve Tambellini and Pat Quinn in charge, you have to figure that they’re going to go in a different direction. I wouldn’t be surprised if they just started going after SIZE. Size on defense, size up front—hell, even a big goaltender. Apparently, size matters.

Judging by the wholesale changes the organization has made with the GM and the coaching staff, you have to think that the Oilers brass is convinced that the past regime’s path to success wasn’t going to work. So where do they go from here? Draft day should give us a clue as to the future direction of the team. Not only will we gain insight with who they pick—but any potential trades and the type of players they might go after in free agency.

There’s a very brief look at the Edmonton Oilers. If nothing else, they’ll be INTERESTING this offseason. If you want to keep up on all things Oilers, go check out Oilers Nation. @WanyeGretz is over there, so you know the site will be as interesting as the team!
The Draft Preview here at VFMS is finally winding down. Tomorrow we’ll have a great preview of the Predators and what they plan to do with the #11 pick. Don’t forget, the 1st round of the draft starts on Friday night—Rounds 2-7 will be on Saturday. I’m confident that by Friday night, we’ll have a few bloggers from NHL teams that will be ready to jump off tall buildings. Check out all of the past previews to get an idea of what teams might do on Friday—and more importantly, what they should do.

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