The Oilers Big Issue

The Sundin sweepstakes are over, if they were even sweepstakes at that. With Vancouver tabling a deal of $20 million over two years, it wasn’t very hard for Mats to decide where he was going to play. With Sundin now playing in the Northwest, one must question the fallout within the division. Minnesota will lose Marian Gaborik before the trade deadline, and may get something decent in return or more building blocks for their future. Calgary seems to be pleased with their team as it is, I don’t live in Cow Town so I wouldn’t know the going’s on. Colorado confuses me, because rumors have it that Peter Forsberg wants to return come playoff time, but the problem is, will the Avalanche even make the post season? Stastny is playing well, and that’s about it. Tucker has been a bust, Smyth’s age is showing, Wolski isn’t performing as well as he should be, and Sakic is still on the mend.
This brings me to the Oilers. Edmonton has dropped their last two games, both after one of their best and most complete games of the year. Erik Cole still only has 3 goals on the year, a far cry for a guy who was looked to pot at least 20. Sam Gagner continues to struggle through the sophomore slump, so does Robert Nilsson. Andrew Cogliano is playing well, maybe not assss good as last season, but still decent. Ethan Moreau was a nice surprise in the beginning, but has cooled off quickly. Dustin Penner’s benching seemed to put some fire under his butt, and he has picked up his play, now with 9 goals. Shawn Horcoff is also playing much better with 22 points now. Ales Hemsky and Sheldon Souray continue to be the leaders. With Sundin now entering the picture and an already tough division getting tougher, one must wonder, what will the Oilers do to fix the problems they already have, and bolster their lineup even further?
Erik Cole, with his contract up at season’s end, seems to be the most likely to be traded. Mathieu Garon and Dwayne Roloson are playing for their jobs right now as both of their contracts are up this summer. Look for one of those two to be traded, maybe both if the Oilers drop that far. The Kid Line trio could potentially be broken up, Andrew Cogliano and Sam Gagner are probably the less likely to be traded, so that leaves Robert Nilsson. Steve Staios’ job can easily be filled by Laddy Smid at this point, and Jason Strudwick will be a UFA this summer. Rob Schremp is an RFA this summer, which considering the recent dramas in his case, looks like he will not be here next year. Marc Pouliot seems to have finally found some better play, and Zach Stortini has been looking a little bit more like he did last year as of late. Kyle Brodziak’s future could be questioned, as his play so far this season has not been up to par. As much as Ethan Moreau Is captain of this team, it is never out of the question that he too could be dealt.
Considering the youth in the Oilers lineup, I would continue to be adamant in staying patient, however, considering the pre season predictions, and the bolstering of other teams in their division. It seems time the Oilers started pulling some plugs and fixing some glaring issues. The first issue that needs to be fixed before all others is the goaltending situation that has arisen. I don’t care if they keep one or the other, or even neither, the Oilers have to get down to 2 goalies, and now. Dealing for Craig Anderson could be an option as he a UFA this summer, and they could always resign him. I would say at this point that they need to deal for a goalie, and send one of their two goalies down through waivers. Neither of them has been playing overly amazing. The second glaring issue is secondary scoring. The Kid line is slumping, and the only ones who are scoring are the first line and Sheldon Souray. Even at that, acquiring a top notch goal scorer would be the ultimate for the Oilers; however it seems the best route for that to happen would be over the summer through a UFA signing (i.e. Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa, etc.). The third and maybe not so important or glaring issue is team toughness. Steve Macintyre has been hurt I know, and when he is in the lineup the Oilers are much better, but without him the Oilers as a team, aren’t that overly tough.
With the Oilers only 2 points out of a playoff spot, a few wins could make them look a lot better. Yet even still, the play of some of the players is disturbing, and there are still issues that need to be fixed if they are to get to the post season dance and be successful. There is a lot of optimism here because I’m an Oilers fan and it’s hard to get real down on a team you love. As a hardcore true Oilers fan it hurts to know that there are these issues, and hard to admit the problems plaguing my team. As a sports fan, and a smart one at that, I do need to realize these problems and know that the team needs to deal with them. They are a frustrating team to watch right now, more frustrating then ever before. This is because this team has such great potential and skill. Who knows, maybe there is another late season drive like last year still to come, but for now, changes are in order.
-Sporer(im on my parents computer, pictures are still to come)