Year End Report: Edmonton Oilers

It has hardly been the kind of year that some expected for the Edmonton Oilers. After revamping their coaching staff with some very established and respected men, more was expected of the young squad. In all fairness, head coach Pat Quinn and assistant, Tom Renney have the right to take time with this team to make it their own, but there is no doubt it has been a stressful season in Edmonton.

THE OFFENSE
Going along with the theme of high expectations, the Edmonton Oilers offense came into the season with just that. The hope was that the amazing skill of RW Ales Hemsky, the strong two-way play of C Shawn Horcoff, and the size of LW Dustin Penner would all combine to make a tough, high scoring first line. Then a group of talented youngsters, mixed with some formidable veterans, were to fill out the rest of the forward lines.

However, we all know that intentions do not always happen. Coming off signing a six year 33 million dollar contract extension, Horcoff has often looked unmotivated, lost, and invisible on the ice. Hemsky came out strong scoring 22 points in 22 games, but then went down to a season ending injury. Dustin Penner has greatly improved his game, but has also disappeared at times.

To go along with this, veterans Ethan Moreau, Mike Comrie, and Fernando Pisani have all performed below expectations and failed to inspire a young team. The younger players on the team have also failed to live up to expectations, but still show a lot of promise.

The Oilers can look forward to having young forwards C Sam Gagne, C Gilbert Brule, C Patrick O'Sullivan, C Andrew Cogliano, and LW Dustin Penner in their lineup for years to come. But they still need time to develop.

THE DEFENSE
Some thought that with quarterbacks, Sheldon Souray and Lubomir Vishnovsky on the blueline, the Oilers powerplay would be a force to be reckoned with. Vishnovsky did not disappoint scoring 32 points in 57 games with the Oilers before being traded to the Anaheim Ducks. However, injuries and inconsistency plagued Souray for most of the year, and has been limited to 13 points and a -19 rating.

There is promise on the Oilers blueline however, as Ryan Whitney, who came over in the Vishnovsky trade, is only 27 years old and has 31 points in 72 games. Tom Gilbert has also shown an offensive upside, but needs to work on his defensive game to improve.

Veteran leader, Steve Staios was shipped out to Calgary at this years trade deadline, making room for a number of young defensmen to get more ice time. While Denis Grebeshkov was also traded to the Nashville Predators to make cap room.

THE GOALIES
Many sports pundits were surprised by the signing of veteran, Nikolai Khabibulin to a long term contract at the age of 37, however, when healthy Khabibulin showed he still has some fight left in him. It remains to be seen how effective he can be in the remaining years of his contract, but he still provides stability and a veteran presence on a team that badly needs those qualities.

Since losing Khabibulin to injury, the goaltending duties have largely been put on Jeff Deslauriers, with Devon Dubnyk serving as his backup. Both are two young goaltending prospects fighting to prove their worth to the Oilers management team, but both have had up and down seasons.

In all fairness, Deslauriers has managed to collect 15 wins in 43 starts, no small task playing behind a hapless Oilers team who rarely plays a team defensive game. Dubnyk, on the other hand, has struggled as backup this season, sporting a .880 save percentage and two wins in 15 starts.

THE SCOOP
Despite an awful season, the Oilers can look forward to drafting in the top two this summer, and further developing young talent for next season. Key injuries to Hemsky, Souray, and Khabibulin were detrimental to Edmonton's playoff hopes, but it was also the lackluster performance of the team overall that was the biggest problem. In the absence of key players, veterans and youngsters failed to step up and take the load.

Head coach, Pat Quinn might have summed up the 2009-2010 season for the Oilers when commenting on the Grebeshkov trade, "(Grebeshkov) was spotty, you can see that he has some skill, but he's been like our team; we haven't been strong defensively. He seemed nervous at times and certainly didn't play anything like I was advised he could play" (Edmonton Journal).

However, I do see many positives for this team, as they have some good veteran players in Hemsky, Souray, Whitney, Penner, Horcoff, and Khabibulin but they need to develop cohesively as a team and stay healthy to compete. Prospects need to continue to develop and use this lost season as a lesson of how much hard work that it takes to compete in the NHL.

Looking ahead, I have enough faith in this coaching staff to say that I believe next years team will be much more competitive and tough to play against. Healthy players and confidence will be important for this team next season.