I've Got A Lot Of Questions

There are holes still to be filled, we all know this. The top six forwards still require a player or two. There are concerns about this team down the middle. Many feel as though the Oilers defense, even healthy, still needs a top four defensemen added to it. There are questions surrounding the goaltending. The only area of this team that might not need major alterations is the bottom six forwards.

Who will play with Taylor Hall?

One thing that we can all be certain of, the big three consisting of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle are NHL top-liners. These three players will be patrolling the Edmonton Oilers top two lines for many years to come and will be very successful at doing so.

Moving forward, I think the Oilers would eventually want to create a Line 1A and a Line 1B. Line 1A would consist of Nugent-Hopkins and Eberle with Nugent-Hopkins being the primary puck carrier. Line 1B would consist of Hall being the primary puck carrier and on this line with him would be? And here is the concern. Do the Edmonton Oilers have a player, whether it be a center or a winger than can play on the second line with Taylor Hall?  

If the Edmonton Oilers avoid trading Ales Hemsky and sign to him a new deal, can he play on a line with Taylor Hall? Both players like to carry the puck, both players like to be the "quarterback" of their line.

How about Sam Gagner? Taylor Hall skates with the best of them, he has tremendous speed. Can Gagner be successful on a line with Hall if he cannot keep up with Hall?

Magnus Paajarvi has the speed to keep up with Hall and he does not have to be the primary puck carrier. But, does Paajarvi posses the finish and offensive creativity that will be required to play on a line with Hall?

Tyler Pitlick, second or third line player?

Do the Edmonton Oilers have, within their development system, a forward that is capable of playing in the top six. Could that player be Linus Omark? Or is Omark to slow and small? Omark likes to carry the puck as well, can he find chemistry with Hall? What about the prospects who are currently with Oklahoma City or have spent a considerable amount of time in Oklahomam City? Could Teemu Hartikainen, Curtis Hamilton, Ryan Martindale or Tyler Pitlick play along side Taylor Hall?

I do not think that Linus Omark is the answer, nor do I believe Ryan Martindale, Curtis Hamilton and Teemu Hartikainen are the answer. The one prospect, in a few seasons, who might be able to play alongside Taylor Hall is Tyler Pitlick. He is big, fast and has a great shot. Many experts do not see Pitlick as a top six forward, rather a top nine. If this is the case and no current Oiler fills the role of playing with Hall, then do the Oilers pursue a center? I ask about a center because there is reason to be concerned about this position.

Outside of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, how strong do you think the Edmonton Oilers are down the middle? If you were to combine Shawn Horcoff's, Eric Belanger's, Anton Lander's and Sam Gagner's point totals for this season, you would get 17 goals and 60 points. Combined, these four players have played 182 games.

Already I have mentioned centers Tyler Pitlick and Ryan Martindale as not being possibly top tier centers, but potential bottom six centers. There has also been talk that Pitlick would make a better winger than a center, time will tell if the Oilers pursue this change of position.

There is also Anton Lander,  playing his first season of North American hockey. Lander has the potential to be a very good third line center.

Sam Gagner, 2nd line center?

So what do the Edmonton Oilers do about their second line? Do they further audition Sam Gagner in this role? As questioned before, is he the right player to play with Taylor Hall? Is Gagner good enough to play as second line center on a winning team? Or, to become a winning team, the Oilers have to go without Sam Gagner on their second line or even on their team?

Should the Oilers maybe look at attempting to convert Magnus Paajarvi to center? Possibly playing Paajarvi for the remainder of the season in Oklahoma City and experimenting with him at center might be a good idea.

Moving ahead and for many seasons to follow, I think the Edmonton Oilers will be alright with their third and fourth line centers. I am concerned about their second line center.

Should there be more concern placed on the defense over that of the top six forwards? This is a hard one to answer. So many variables come into play. Two considerations now and next season are the health of Ryan Whitney and whether or not Cam Barker impresses the Oilers enough to warrant a long-term deal.

What if Whitney's injury problem is behind him and Barker does prove to be a reliable top four defensemen? The Edmonton Oilers could be left with a top four that would consist of Whitney, Barker, Gilbert and Smid.

Jeff Petry, Taylor Hall & Jordan Eberle .... part of the future.

Now add Jeff Petry to the mix for the 2012/13 NHL season, what are your impressions of a defense that would consist of Whitney, Barker, Gilbert, Smid, Petry and Potter? The Oilers could re-sign Andy Sutton or just go with Theo Peckham as a seventh defensemen.

Also, we must not forget about Taylor Fedun. He had this team made prior to his injury. How does he fit into the Oilers' plans.

Looking further into the future, lets say 2013/14, Colten Teubert and Oscar Klefbom would garner serious consideration to make the Edmonton Oilers line-up. Also, we must not forget about Taylor Fedun. He had this team made prior to his injury. How dores he fit into the Oilers ' plnas.

And here is the question that adds even more speculation and intrigue, what if the Oilers sign Ryan Suter in the off-season? It is a maybe, but if it should occur, the signing of one player may just cure all of the Oilers' defensive woes.

I ask you again, should the Edmonton Oilers be more concerned with their top six forwards or their defense?

The good thing about the goaltending is that the Oilers are aware that they have to get this problem rectified prior to the start of the 2013/14 NHL season and may not have to do anything more than sign or promote a back-up.

Nikolai Khabibulin is 39 years old and has a season remaining on his deal. Even in a back-up role, I find it unlikely that the Oilers would sign the veteran goaltender beyond next season. With Khabibulin's absence there will be a position available. What has yet to be determined is whether or not that position will be of a starter or a back-up goaltender.

Is Devan Dubnyk capable of being a #1 goalie?

So much will rest on the performance of Devan Dubnyk, this season and next. If not the remainder of this season, then definitely next season, Dubnyk will be given every opportunity to prove himself as a starting goaltender. The Oilers, you would think, would prefer that Dubnyk emerges as a number one goaltender. If Dubnyk fails, then Oilers are in the undesirable position of trying to acquire, either by trade or free agency, a starting goaltender. Either way, the Oilers pay, whether it is assets or a big contract.

Life would be so much easier for the Edmonton Oilers if Devan Dubnyk becomes a legitimate number one goalie. Then, the only concern for the Oilers is to find themselves a back-up goalie or promote within.

Next season, the following season and into what we all hope will be the new glory years, the Edmonton Oilers look good with their bottom six. The Oilers bottom six, next season, could consist of players like Ryan Jones, Shawn Horcoff, Ryan Smyth, Ben Eager, Teemu Hartikainen and Eric Belanger. Moving beyond next season, some players will be replaced while others will stay. The Oilers should not have any problems in continuing to place good players within their bottom six forwards. Those players, who  could eventually be in the Oilers bottom six, consist of  Anton Lander, Tyler Pitlick and Curtis Hamilton.

I know that I somewhat rambled on, but I had a lot on my mind. I am not telling you anything that you already don't know. It takes time to build a winner from the depths of where the Edmonton Oilers were. The Oilers will continue to go through a bevy of changes over the next two seasons, changes that will help this team improve even further. The Oilers are going to be one of the busier teams in the NHL, with regards to roster changes, over the next few years. And just as this team becomes one of the NHL's elite, they will move into a brand new state-of-the-art arena. It is going to be a great ride!

Previous Blog ------>  A New Team, After The All Star Break

Note: Edit done @ 7:00 PM ... Correction made, Curtis Hamilton a winger and not a center.