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 Posted - 09/28/2006 : 15:33:04
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By Darryl Dobbs
In what was thought to be a season where the Edmonton Oilers would slip back a little, it sure does not look that way so far.
When GM Kevin Lowe traded away defenseman Chris Pronger, a star in the NHL as well as in fantasy circles, it seemed that Edmonton would be hard-pressed to make the playoffs again. After all – they only barely squeaked in the last time, and this is one of the best players in the NHL that is no longer on their team. Granted, Lowe received great return for Pronger, but none of those assets will hit their prime for years yet.
However, on the positive side of the coin, there are some things to consider. Primarily, the acquisition of free agent Petr Sykora. Now this is a man who has not seen the happy side of 60 points in five years, and has now been pigeon-holed by poolies in that 50-59 point range. Coach Craig MacTavish tries him in some practice drills with countryman Ales Hemsky and – magic. Thinking he is on to something, MacTavish tries the two together in a couple of scrimmages and – magic. Now the two really have their coach’s attention, and in exhibition play the two are thrown out there together again. Sure enough, it was magic. The two of them are showing an instant chemistry that you rarely see in hockey, and when you get that kind of chemistry – you keep it.
So we know that Hemsky and Sykora will form a dominant first line, and whoever winds up being their winger will not hurt one iota (currently it is Raffi Torres getting a shot there, and not looking too bad at that). This means that the former No.1 line, which we’ll now call line 1A, is made up of Shawn Horcoff, Ryan Smyth, and whoever winds up being on the other wing (currently Fernando Pisani).
The first two lines that the Oilers roll out are a threat to score. However, nothing has been mentioned about Jarret Stoll and Joffrey Lupul. Those two are bound to put the puck in the net two out of every three games between them. Rookie Alexei Mikhnov would be the third member of the unit. These three lines can score with the best of them in today’s NHL.
Does this arrangement end up with rookie Robbie Schremp on the fourth line? Ouch. If you’re the opposition. Schremp may be young and inexperienced, but he will not be in the NHL for his agitating, holding, and checking abilities. He’ll be there to score. The bottom line in Edmonton is, they could score on you in any shift.
Having a legitimate No.1 goalie in Dwayne Roloson for the first time in a long time will also help matters. Between the forwards and the goaltender, this team is better than it was last season…until the attention falls on the defensemen. Led by (who?) Marc-Andre Bergeron, Steve Staios, and Jason Smith, this group is quite possibly the worst crew in the league. How good would they be if the Oilers had the Phoenix rearguards instead? Just imagine – Ed Jovanovski, Zbynek Michalek, Keith Ballard, Derek Morris, Nick Boynton, and Dennis Seidenberg playing with the above group of forwards!
The point is – don’t be surprised to see 7-6 games aplenty, just like the Oilers of old. Much like Grant Fuhr from those days, Roloson will stop enough to win the games while the forwards score in bunches. The blueliners? Well…they will just have to hang on.
Meanwhile…
Chicago’s Tuomo Ruutu will miss the first eight to 10 games of the regular season after spraining his knee. This opens up a ton of ice time for Rene Bourque and Tony Salmelainen to begin the season and show their stuff…
Keep in mind that goaltender Marty Turco (Dallas) began last season with a 0.872 save percentage after nine games. He had a horrible start. He is getting more preseason action in this time around and so hopes to avoid that again. He ended the year at .898, which means he was above .900 the rest of the way. As a goalie who, health permitting, will play at least 70 games this year – he is a fantasy stud…
Dobber’s Pool Guide - $4.99 at www.dobberhockey.com
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Oilers Pretty Scary Up Front 
