The Oilers, once again, overcame small-market economics and had a successful season in 2000-01. Despite limitations of the weak Canadian dollar and a restricted budget, the first year of the Kevin Lowe/Craig MacTavish era won 39 games and extended the franchise's string of playoff seasons to five consecutive years. The Oilers finished sixth in the West, just two points behind San Jose, and that earned them another first-round war with the Dallas Stars. For the fourth season in a row, the Oilers were done in by the Stars -- but not before going to overtime in four of the six games, which tired the Stars so much they were swept by St. Louis in the second round.

	2000-01 by the numbers
	Record: 39-28-12-3, 93 points (12th overall, 6th West, 2nd Northwest) Man-games lost to injury: 189 (16th) Goals for: 243/2.96 (9th) Goals against: 222/2.71 (15th) Differential: 21 (14th overall) 20-goal scorers: Ryan Smyth (31), Doug Weight (25), Mike Grier (20) 50-point scorers: Weight (90), Smyth (70)

The strong showing was more surprising considering that the line of Bill Guerin, Doug Weight and Ryan Smyth -- arguably the league's best line through the season's first 20 games -- was broken up when the Oilers dealt Guerin to Boston in mid-November. A younger and cheaper Anson Carter came in return -- along with a draft pick -- but it took Carter a large chunk of the season to adjust after his contract holdout with the Bruins. Weight, Smyth and goalie Tommy Salo were the major reasons the Oilers qualified for the postseason. Salo played solid all season with a 2.46 GAA and .904 save percentage, along with a career-high eight shutouts. Smyth set a career high in points with 70 (31-39-70), and Weight had the second-best offensive season of his career (25-65-90). It's no coincidence that Weight's best season (25-79-104 in 1995-96) was the last one in which he played all 82 games.

Looking at next season
Weight has gone the way of Jason Arnott and Guerin -- traded because of his future earning potential. For the second time in three years, the Oilers will begin the season with a new captain. The difference, though, is that when Kelly Buchberger left for Atlanta via the expansion draft two years ago, Weight was the unquestionable choice to lead the team as captain. Now, losing Weight and Guerin in one year leaves a leadership void with no clear candidate for captain. The frontrunner seems to be Smyth, who captained Team Canada in the World Championships after Mike Peca's injury, but Todd Marchant and Jason Smith are possibilities, too. Veteran defenseman and free agent signee Steve Staios was captain in Atlanta, so he will help out with leadership on the young squad.

Lowe has been busy of late, signing Marty Reasoner and Jochen Hecht -- the major components from the Weight trade to St. Louis -- and leaving Tom Poti as the only unsigned player from the core of last season's roster. Janne Niinimaa was a restricted free agent, but he signed a three-year deal on Aug. 3, so Niinimaa is all set.

Assuming Poti signs in time, the Oilers enter training camp with a roster full of youth and talent up front. Beyond Reasoner and Hecht, both 24, Josh Green, 23, is returning from injuries to both shoulders and should be healthy. Jani Rita, the team's No. 1 pick from 1999, signed a three-year contract, and although the right wing from Finland is only 20, he played in the Finnish Elite League last season and also led the World Junior Championships with nine points. Toss in the shifty Mike Comrie, 20, Shawn Horcoff, 22, and Dan Cleary, 22, and there's a lot of energy and great skating to go around.

The defense will miss the physical presence of Igor Ulanov -- signed by the Rangers -- and it's doubtful Sven Butenschon will offset the loss. Smith and Staios will be solid, but the key could be Eric Brewer and Poti. Brewer, 22, had what could be considered a breakout season in '00-01. He followed up a minus-11 effort from '99-00 with a plus-15, and the 6-foot-3 defenseman set career highs in games played (77), goals (7), assists (14) and shots on goal (91). He was so impressive, the Oilers rewarded him with a three-year contract, and Wayne Gretzky invited him to try out for the Canadian Olympic team. But Poti, 24, didn't progress on as steep a curve as Brewer. Poti was on the ice for 12 more goals in '00-01 than the previous season, and there were moments when he just couldn't handle a big winger in front of the net. Poti struggled without Roman Hamrlik -- now with the Islanders -- but remains a great puck-possession and power-play talent. If the Oilers need him to be physical in the defensive zone, there will be trouble.

Usually, when there's trouble, Salo saves the day. But what if he gets injured? Joaquin Gage and Dominic Roussel weren't reliable back-up goalies, so Salo ended up starting 72 games. That's a major risk, but perhaps Hobey Baker finalist Ty Conklin could make things more competitive in training camp.

Overall, look for MacTavish to allow the kids to develop and hope that Smyth, Marchant, Carter and Mike Grier can set the tone up front -- both physically and offensively. After that, it's up to Salo and the unpredictable defense. Regardless of what happens, the Oilers will be fun to watch because they're fast and young, which means great plays and mistakes throughout.

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com.