2012 Projections: Edmonton

With the previous successes of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks, basement dwellers, turned high drafters, turned champions, there are a lot of curious eyes on the Edmonton Oilers, waiting and hoping for the same sort of turnaround that these other teams have seen, playing with the same sort of circumstances.

The Oilers have done well with their drafting to this point, with Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi and Linus Omark showing off some flair in the 2011 season, not to mention Devan Dubnyk standing in admirably throughout the season in their crease.  The Oilers were blessed with yet another 1st overall pick, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who adds another ray of hope onto a team on the rise.

The Oilers did an alright job adding a little bit more grit and veteran leadership in the off-season, a key component to the progression of the team's youth going forward.  The re-acquisition of Ryan Smyth could prove to be huge, while Ben Eager, Darcy Hordichuk and Andy Sutton will provide both leadership and personal security for their youth.

How will all this added attention to the Oilers change things going forward?  Will they score?  Will they be good pick-ups for your hockey pool team?

Forwards		Defense		Goalies
Taylor Hall	70	Ryan Whitney	55	Nikolai Khabibulin	55
Ales Hemsky	70	Tom Gilbert	30	Devan Dubnyk	25
Jordan Eberle	65	Ladislav Smid	15
Ryan Smyth	55	Jeff Petry	15
Sam Gagner	55	Theo Peckham	10
Shawn Horcoff	50	Cam Barker	10
Magnus Paajarvi	45	Andy Sutton	5
Eric Belanger	35
Linus Omark	35
Ryan Jones	30
Ben Eager	15
Gilbert Brule	10
Darcy Hordichuk	5
Teemu Hartikainen	35	Alex Plante	10
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins	5	Taylor Chorney	5

Pool Worthy Forwards (Inside the top 160, 40 points)
Assuming that the forwards can stay healthy for the Oilers, they have just as much potential to put up some very worthy numbers down the line, but health has been a big issue for guys like Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff.  Even the young kids missed a fair share of games, which may lessen their projected values among some poolies, but I don't think many can deny that the offense is coming, just around the corner.

I really like Taylor Hall to continue the streak of 1st overall draft picks making strides early on in their career, picking up the pace with a solid offense and reaching the 70-point plateau (if not a little better).  Jordan Eberle shouldn't be too far behind, with a good year under his belt, I'm thinking we'll see a pretty good year from him as well, before they both explode for big numbers in 2013.

Ryan Smyth may have gone home, but will he fit into the system with big numbers again?  That seems relatively unlikely, but he should be able to help out in one way or another, likely good for 20-25 goals again.

Pool Worthy Defensemen (Inside the top 80, 25 points)
Before Ryan Whitney went down with injury, he was having a whale of a season, fitting in quite well with the Oilers, especially in the assists column.  Well, I think we'll see the same kind of Whitney in 2012, which will make him a top pick among defenders.

Tom Gilbert should play a big part again in the success of the Oilers in 2012, posting some reasonable points, making him into a solid pool player.

Otherwise, the Oilers don't really look to have a great deal of depth, which could be their biggest downfall in the 2012 season.

Pool Worthy Goalies (Inside the top 40, 25 points)
After a very turbulent and sweltering Summer, I think Nikolai Khabibulin may come back with a great deal more focus, likely coming back to the Oilers with his health back up to par and he could be the guy that eats up some big minutes for the club this year, re-asserting himself as a starting goalie in the league.  He may not lift the Oilers into the playoffs, but he'll make a valiant effort in trying.

I would also look at Devan Dubnyk again this year, as Khabibulin's minutes, especially if there are stretches of losing, will be tempered enough for Dubnyk to make a fair share of appearances.

Pool Worthy Rookies
With size concerns for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins dominating his storyline into the NHL,  I would go out on a limb and say that the skilled forward may head back down to junior, just for bulking up, more than an actual improvement in his game.  On the other hand, I would be looking towards Teemu Hartikainen to make a good push, as he was a very good player to watch near the end of the 2011 season.  I think he has a real good shot at making the club and making an impact.

Key Injuries
It might be time to hold your breath a little bit, as Ryan Whitney was reported to have rolled his ankle in some off-season skating drills, but it doesn't sound like the injury is too serious.  Nevertheless, the injury came on his surgically repaired foot, which he injured during last season.  Watch him closely in training camp.