The Edmonton Oilers finished the '07-'08 season with another less than average performance. For this team to bounce back in '08-'09, several different things need to happen.
On July 1, Kevin Lowe needs to be ready to make some deals that will change his roster only for the better. It is obvious that the Oilers need a couple more strong defensemen with some spares in case of injuries.
I don't believe that Wade Redden is the right guy to go after, because of the large amount of money he wants.
One guy Kevin Lowe should definitely be looking at is Jason Smith. He was traded away from the Oilers last year and would provide strong leadership for Edmonton. He would be an excellent man to put on the blue line.
Another thing that Edmonton needs is a strong enforcer. Right now Zach Stortini is just not getting the job done. I think everyone knows who Lowe will be going after, and that is Georges Laraque.
When he was with Edmonton a few years ago, no one even thought about going after the star players. With Stortini, Hemsky, Horcoff, Gagner, and others getting run at with no consequences, there needs to be someone able to stick up for them.
As of right now, the draft is not something that Edmonton needs to worry too much about.
The Oilers have a strong young group of core guys that will get the job done for a few years to come. The last thing Kevin Lowe needs to do is give up a valuable player to try and trade for a top pick even though there are several great young defensemen available.
The goaltending situation in Edmonton is absolutely fine. Mathieu Garon has proved himself to be a starting goaltender in the NHL. Most Oiler fans see that Dwayne Roloson's days are coming to an end in the NHL. It's time now for the Oilers to bring up some young goalies from Springfield like Devan Dubnyk or Jeff Deslauriers.
In the 2008-2009 NHL season, I believe that the Edmonton Oilers shall do just fine as long as they make a few minor changes and most importantly, stay healthy!
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4 months ago
Your so wrong you idiot. Georges Laraque didn't do anything more then what stortini is doing and plus stortini is way younger. Laraque will just screw up our fourth line when it was doing fine towards the end of last season. And also, garon has only had one good season so far, so lets not kid are selves, lets wait and see what he does this coming up season. And finally, I think the oilers impressed everyone with how high they finished in the standings (9th in the west) especially since most reporters and other people were putting them as low as 14th. So I think you should shut up and stop kidding yourself about these things and let people who know what they're talking about do the talking.
from 4 months ago
wow buddy i think your the one that needs the reality check. stortini is probably the worst enforcer i've seen. He can fight at all. Right now in pitsburgh, when someone even skims crosby, laraque is out there kicking his but. everyone in edmonton knows that we have a way better chance with laraque here than stortini. you're such a tool.
4 months ago
alex, defensive much?
I think Laraque did do a lot more than waht Stortini did, but I do agree with you that nowadays he is not the right solution.. it's a team thing, if guys like torres, moreau, staios, green can stay healthy and in some cases return to form (torres, moreau) then a team toughness attitude could hopefully prevail a la anaheim circa 2007 and they'll be alright, but it must come from all corners.
As for the original article, I wouldn't write the draft off, as you are saying that it may not be a pressing need. The new NHL and the youth that is feeding it mean that any team requires a constantly updated and fresh stable of young players that have the time and depth to develop at the correct pace and step up when injuries/trades/retirement happen.
I think that the Oilers had one of the strongest finishes in the entire NHL and the biggest question is can they maintain that high level of play. The return of Moreau, Horcoff and Souray will ease the transition
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