Season in Review

Quite a while between posts, but what an ending to a tumultuous season. Sure, we all thought it was over with the injuries to big-time players like Horcoff, Souray, Moreau, and Torres; hell I was moping over potentially handing Stamkos on a platter to Brian Burke.


But what a last 20 games! We saw the rise and fall of many a player in the latter half of the season. And by the end of the year, it was clear who had to stay and who had to go.


Goaltending
We saw a passing of the torch of sorts in the latter half of the season. What had been Roloson`s starting spot since the end of the 05-06 season was passed onto a near force in the Oiler`s crease: Mathieu Garon.

The 29-year old and his quick reflexes powered the Oilers to a solid late-season surge. Even with the weak defense, he was able to put up a top-15 save percentage in the league, and wowed fans with his quick saves. He is exemplary of the new breed of NHL goaltenders: tall, and quick with his butterfly style. Hell, we almost made they playoffs before this guy got injured late in the year

By the end of the season, it was clear who the bonafide starter was for the Oilers, and Roloson`s future with the team seems to be in jeapordy. With the emergence of Delauriers, the options are endless about how Lowe could go about adjusting the roster in time for next season.

Defense
With injuries to Souray, Pitkanen, and Greene affecting the D-corps for a large portion of the year, we looked like we were going to have a repeat of last season. However, Staios stepped up as a veteran presence, and kids like Gilbert and Grebeshkov shined when called upon.

Ladislav Smid was called up half-way through the year, and stuck with the team till the end. He showed strides in his game, and started to handle the puck more. I`m most impressed with his defensive game. Also notable was Theo Peckham`s performance in his one game in the NHL. What a hit on Boll! Surely a sign of things to come.

Overall, we saw Lowe achieve his dream of a ``puck-moving defense``. Pitkanen thrilled fans with his exceptional skating, Gilbert played a smart 2-way game and chipped in with 16 goals, while Grebeshkov emerged later in the year as an offensive dynamo, showing off what I`d say is the 2nd-best break-out pass I`ve seen the Oilers had (after Pronger).

Matt Greene did come back, and showed signs of his old shutdown game. Still, it seems as if his defense has stagnated. We saw Souray, for what, 20 games? We still got a limited dose of his PP prowess, and his defense was average from what I saw. Pitkanen was enigmatic through the year, sometimes dominating games, other times disappearing completely. Moving into next year, I hope to see the D end up like this:

Pitkanen Souray
Gilbert Staios
Grebeshkov Smid
Greene

Either way, you can't help but get excited by the great puck-moving game and potential showed by the veterans and kids alike on the blue-line.

Forwards
Wow, what a season. Early on, the forwards were led by the first line of Penner, Horcoff, and Hemsky while the kids adapted to the NHL game and the other veterans continued to struggle. Moreau was injured all year, and Stoll/Torres quickly entered Mac-T's doghouse. Hemsky continued to lead us with his brilliance, and Horcoff also emerged as a star, literally. It was great to see him at the NHL All-Star Game.

When Horc went down, that's when I got worried, especially when Mac-T put Reasoner in the middle in his spot.

But boy did those kids step up. Gagner, Nilsson, and Cogliano went on a run, the diminutive youngsters leading the team in offensive output over the last half of the season. They stepped it up in those last 20 games, bringing the team within a couple points of a playoff spot, and helping Hemsky turn the PP around out of the NHL's basement.

Heading into next year, we got tons to look forward to. A healthy Horcoff would help the first line run at it's high-octane level prior to the All-Star Break. The kids are going to get nothing but better from here on out, and it's interesting to see what happens next year with them in a 2nd-line role.

Moreau's injury worries me, as this makes it the third season in a row he has missed a significant amount of games. Pisani's comeback was morale-boosting, congratulations to him on the recovery. Even more impressive was he was on pace for 20 goals with his output after the return.

Brodziak, Glencross, and Stortini emerged as the top 4th line in the league, and were a major reason for the late-season run, scoring timely goals and pumping up the fans with aggressive play. Hopefully we can keep them together heading into next season.

As for Stoll and Torres, their disappointing play has made them trade bait. Hopefully we can move them or Moreau in the off-season to make room for youngsters like Pouliot and Schremp.

Overall
Great end to a disappointing season. Hopefully the Oilers can keep the momentum for next season. Let's hope Lowe manages to turn the team into playoff contenders without dismantling the youth.