Edmonton Oilers: How They Stack Up Against Better Teams
The Edmonton Oilers are looking to break a playoff drought that seems like it started around the same time I hit puberty. Year Two of General Manager Peter Chiarelli is starting, and him being in charge has been hectic to say the least. There have been big additions and big(ger?) subtractions, and yet, the team has the general feel of being “better.”
Outside the Milans and the Larssons, there is a Connor McDavid that hopes to play his first full season. The
Bruins
Oilers are bigger, grittier, and quite frankly tougher than any rendition of the team I can think of. So, it should be easy to sneak into the playoffs… right?
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Sure, except, they still finished last in the Western Conference, one point shy of a dead-last finish league-wide (thanks, Toronto). That means there are 13 other teams that are thinking the same thing. All have made strides to improve their teams, or at the very least are bringing back the same group that still beat the Oilers last year.
Lets take a look at just the teams ahead of Edmonton that didn’t even make the playoffs, and then, we’ll compare the two.
13. Vancouver Canucks, 31-38-13, 75 Points
Immediately ahead of us are the Canucks. It hurts me to type that. last season Edmonton actually handle themselves quite well, picking up at least a point in all five games vs. Vancouver, posting a 3-0-2 record. The Oilers also out-shot the Canucks, led 14-9 in goals scored and managed to kill off 14 Vancouver penalties.
Vancouver biggest offseason moves include bringing in Loui Eriksson, a 31 year-old winger on a six-year pact, and trading for defenseman Erik Gudbranson. Olli Juolevi will one day be a great player, but in general, the Canucks at best have swapped Eriksson and Gudbranson for departed players Vrbata and Hamhuis. Keep doing you Jim Benning.
12. Calgary Flames, 35-40-7, 77 Points
Seriously, what a rough year for the Canadian teams . And unfortunately, the Flames managed to take care of their business against Edmonton. The Flames went 2-3-0 against the Oilers, out-shooting, outscoring and basically doing everything but winning more face-offs.
However, in all honesty, the Flames had a disappointing season. They have a solid defensive core, mixed with youthful skilled forwards, but the problem is that teams that rank 30th in GAA nad PK percentage go on to have a successful year. They finished middle of the pack with 2.79 Goals per game, and with a newly added Brian Elliot, look for Calgary to rise up the list right along with the Oil.
11. Winnipeg Jets, 35-39-8, 78 Points
…Oh Canada. Another team that makes you wonder what went wrong, the Jets were supposed to be a scrappy up and coming team. Carried by the human wrecking ball that is Dustin Byfuglien, the ‘Peg are another well constructed team that seemed to lack one key ingredient.
Having three goalies on a roster is one thing. Having them play in 33, 30, and 26 games is a whole issue on its own. Ondrej Pavalec, Michael Hutchison and Connor Hellebuyck all performed well at times, just not all the time.
They lost Andrew Ladd at the deadline, but Drafted Patrik Laine second overall. The Oilers managed to go 2-0-1 in a tight series, producing just 10 goals. Neither team managed a power-play tally.
Next: Edmonton Oilers: The Anatomy of Patrick Maroon
These should be the immediate targets: teams that Edmonton managed a winning record against at 7-3-3.Bounce-back years from teams that have already tasted the playoffs in Calgary and Winnipeg could make them dangerous, thankfully the Canucks core seems to stay on the wrong side of 30. Next up will be the Coyotes, Avalanche and our first playoff team, the Wild.