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For once, Edmonton didn't have to sweat out a playoff berth. But the Oilers' reward was a first-round playoff date with Dallas -- and the Oilers were gone in five games.
Plenty of has happened since, including the departure of general manager Glen Sather. If the Oilers are to improve on last year's 32-34-16-8 mark, they have to deal with a number of lingering questions.
Season Review: Good ... but not good enough
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The Oilers kept up with the Avs for a while, but in the end, Edmonton wasn't deep or consistent enough to unseat Colorado from atop the Northwest Division. Tommy Salo had a great season (2.33 GAA, .914 save percentage) and is firmly established as a legitimate No. 1 starter in the NHL. Doug Weight was solid, and Ryan Smyth (28 goals) had his best season since '96-97 when he netted 39.
But after those two, and the consistent production of gritty Bill Guerin (46 points, plus-4), there's a major drop-off up front. Alexander Selivanov scored 27 goas, but notched only 10 in his final 45 games. At one point, he was benched. Beyond Salo, Weight and Smyth the rapport between Tom Poti and Roman Hamrlik, especially on the the power play, helped the Oilers play an improved transition game.
At their best, the Oilers were a young, fast and exciting team which could play with anyone. At their worst, they were a young team that had difficulty playing three good periods and didn't win a lot of close games.
The Open Market: A Weight-y issue?
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FREE AGENCY
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Key unsigned free agents:
Sean Brown, Josh Green, Mike Grier, Georges Laraque, Todd Marchant, Ethan Moreau, Rem Murray, Ryan Smyth, Igor Ulanov, Doug Weight
Signings/offseason acquisitions:
None |
Question marks abound with this team. On the ice, Weight and Smyth top the list of talented and speedy players, while also topping the unsigned free-agents list. As always seems to be the case with Edmonton, there is a large group of young players not under contract. But the major variable is new GM Kevin Lowe. Glen Sather always played hardball with negotiations, and although Lowe doesn't necessarily have more money, he may find a way to avoid catastrophic holdouts. But no matter who runs the show, there will be holdouts, and Weight could be one of them. However, Todd Marchant and Jason Smith filed for arbitration, guaranteeing their presence in training camp.
How to improve: Need punch without Hamrlik
The Oilers have talent -- no question about that. But the franchise has a new coach and management team. Sather took a lot with him to New York -- knowledge, personnel and the last vestiges of the Oilers' Stanley Cup era. So in a lot of ways, the success of Lowe and coach Craig MacTavish could determine the long-term viability of this team's existence in Edmonton. On the ice, a few things must happen for improvement. Poti will have to ratchet up his game another notch because of the departure of Hamrlik, dealt to the Islanders for defenseman Eric Brewer and left wing Josh Green. Poti has potential to be an A-level defenseman for at least the next decade, but he'll have to do more on the power play next season. In the end, the more holdouts, the worse it will be for the Oilers to make the playoffs in the ultra-competitive West.
Brian A. Shactman is the NHL Editor for ESPN.com.
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