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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