Bet On NHL Hockey Edmonton Oilers Season Preview
If youth and promise were the only measuring stick used when determining the teams that make the playoffs then the Edmonton Oilers would certainly be at or near the top of the list.
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EDMONTON OILERS
Odds to Win the Northwest Division: +2500
Odds to Win the Stanley Cup: 65/1
Last season: 25-45-12, 62 points (5th place Northwest, 15th place West)
Additions: Eric Belanger, C; Ryan Smyth, LW; Ben Eager, LW; Darcy Hordichuk, LW; Cam Barker, D; Andy Sutton, D; Yann Danis, G
Departures: Andrew Cogliano, C; Kurtis Foster, D; Colin Fraser, C; Zack Stortini, RW; Jason Strudwick, D; Steve MacIntyre, LW; Jim Vandermeer, D; Jean-Francois Jacques, LW
Youngsters to Keep an Eye On: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C; Jeff Petry, D; Linus Omark, LW; Teemu Hartikainen, LW; Alex Plante, D; Colton Teubert, D
The Oilers had the No. 1 pick again and chose Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to a solid but extremely young nucleus of players. With that, the Oilers future looks bright as can be. It is just a matter of when we stop talking about the future and when we start talking about the present.
Edmonton will enter the 2011-2012 season with what amounts to a pretty good problem – a glut of center icemen. Along with Nugent-Hopkins, the Oilers have Sam Gagner, Shawn Horcoff, Belanger and Gilbert Brule at the center ice position. That would leave one man out and that man could potentially be Nugent-Hopkins who could find himself in the CHL for one more season.
When scouring the potential Edmonton lineup, the optimism seems very justified. The Oilers’ lineup will be littered with veteran talent and quality youngsters. A recycled Ryan Smyth, Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky, Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Linus Omark and Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson will all be healthy going into 2011 and on paper, make for a pretty solid group of forwards. The addition of Ryan Smyth and Ben Eager should be a stabilizing force in the sea of youth that is present in Edmonton. The future is bright for sure but how it translates to the present remains to be seen. [ad-4437448]
We know that the Oilers offense is young, hungry and talented but it is likely the defense that will decide if this team takes a step forward or backward this season. Tom Gilbert, Ryan Whitney, Ladislav Smid, Cam Barker, Theo Peckham and Andy Sutton are the projected Top six defensemen for the Oilers – hardly awe inspiring! Needless to say, Edmonton’s offense will have to be extra special if the Oilers hope to climb out of the basement in the Northwest.
Goaltending will likely be the weakest part of the Oilers this season. Nicolai Khabibulin is back despite serving time for DUI. He brings questionable fitness and a GAA over 3.00 in his two seasons in Edmonton. Devan Dubnyk will act as an uninspiring #2 this season with a chance to play in a fair amount of games.
Betting Prediction: The Edmonton Oilers will certainly be a fun team to watch this season but it is likely that they are a year away from actually contending for a playoff spot. All of the talent in the world up front will not make up for the below average talent on defense and between the pipes. The pieces are in place at forward, now it is time for Steve Tambellini to work on the back end. The losing ways are coming to an end Oilers fans but it is likely that you will have to suffer through one more year of misery.
Fearless Forecast: The Oilers show improvement on the ice but still find themselves in a battle for last in the Northwest with Colorado. 4th place in the Division and out of the playoffs for the last time in a long while!
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