The Baby Oils

[Sushamiboy]

The following will be a recounting of the Edmonton Oilers using the Lidas 3.2. I will give monthly gametime updates. I will mostly focus on my team but may mention others if it is noteworthy

September Year One

Aug 30th: Oilers get a new GM. Mr. Cloutier was signed to lead this new team. His first move as GM was to shake things up in behind the bench, firing Tom Renney and two of his assistants. The move was not based on lack of trust but Cloutier was quoted as say he wanted his own man behind the bench. There was also a shake-up in the scouting department as many scouts were thanked and let go. Also several prospects rights let go.

Sept 2nd: Many fans were hoping that the arrival of GM Cloutier would lead to a blockbuster trade or signing but his first roster move is far from causing waves. Edmonton sent the rights of Ryan Martindale to Montreal for Aleksei Emelin.

Sept 3rd: Edmonton fans voiced their opinion as a true blockbuster trade was made, sadly not by their new GM, as Detroit and New Jersey made headlines. Detroit sent Patrick Eaves, Valtteri Filppula, the rights to Jordan Pearce, and a 1st round pick to New Jersey for Henrick Tallinder and the rights to Zach Parise.

Sept 3rd: Later on the same day as the blockbuster trade, Edmonton offered a small bit of news, announcing they had signed Wayne Primeau to a 3 year deal at $450 000 per year.

Sept 4th: In what appears to be a salary motivated deal, Edmonton traded Tom Gilbert to Colorado for the rights to Ryan Wilson.

Sept 6th: After a few days of negotiating with a few candidates GM Cloutier has signed Bob Hartley as the new coach in Edmonton. Marc Crawford, another candidate considered said he was saddened to miss the opportunity to coach such a youthful team so full of potential.

Sept 16th: Two days after Edmonton won their first exhibition game 4-1 against Philadelphia and just hours before the puck drops versus Los Angeles, GM Cloutier has announced another signing to improve his roster. Brandon Dubinsky signed a two year deal worth $984 000 per year. Sadly the news was tarnished by a 3-1 loss.

Sept 17th: In another depth move, Edmonton has added Blake Wheeler for 2 years at the same salary as Dubinsky. Sadly both new comers could not help the team from losing 2-1 in a shootout against Dallas. Khabibulin was stellar, stopping 38 shots, and being named first star.

Sept 19th: TheFouthPeriod.com gave their season predictions, showing by selecting Edmonton 23rd, that they don't believe the signing of GM Cloutier will not make much of a difference. The team helped validate that by losing 4-2 against Colorado.

Sept 21st: After having offered his services a week prior, Patrick Lalime was signed to a 2 year deal at $540 000 per. The players must have approved as they thanked their GM by winning 4-2 against Tampa Bay.

Sept 30th: InsideHockey.com gave their top 10 by position and top 10 prospects. The only Edmonton player to make the list is Ales Hemsky who was the number 10 right wing.

[Sushamiboy]

Oct 2nd: Looking to add some experience to a mostly inexperienced team, GM Cloutier picked up dman Bryan Muir off the waivers.

Oct 5th: Just before their season opener in a battle of Alberta against regular foes Calgary, Edmonton has announced their opening roster and lines. Dubinsky is suspended for this first game and Whitney is out for a couple of weeks with a hip flexor strain.

Forwards
Smyth-Horcoff-Hemsky
Hall-Gagner-Eberle
Cogliano-Brule-Wheeler
Jones-Primeau-Petrell

Defense

Wilson-Foster
Smid-Muir
Emelin-Petry

Goalies

Khabibulin
Lalime

The game resulted in a 4-2 loss with Cogliano scoring both goals for Edmonton. With rumors sending Cogliano out, this may buy him some time. Kiprusoff was the story of the game making 45 saves for the victors and getting the first star.

Oct 7th: Calgary comes out on top, winning the second game of the home and home against Edmonton 5-3. Horcoff was suspended for a game due to a play during this game.

Oct 8th: Edmonton did a bit of a puzzling trade after their second straight loss, both at the hands of Calgary. They sent Ryan Jones, the rights to Martin Marincin, and a 2nd rounder for Evgeni Nabokov, Darcy Hordichuk, and the rights to Nino Niederreiter. While Niederreiter is a fantastic prospect that offers more than Marincin, Hordichuk is not an upgrade on Jones. With the signing of Lalime the acquisition of Nabokov leaves a lot of question marks.

Oct 12th: A few roster changes were done before the game against San Jose in hopes of shaking things up. Dubinsky has integrated the lineup replacing suspended Horcoff. On defense Whitney, while still recovering from his injury, returns, forcing Emelin out of the lineup who was sent to Oklahoma City. The game still resulted in a 5-3 loss.

Oct 14th: Edmonton finally finds a change that works. Nabokov's first game in the Oiler's uniform is also the first win of the year. After the 3-2 victory over Colorado, Brule was sent down to the minors.

Oct 16th: Naysayers might be reconsidering their position on GM Cloutier's last trade. With Nabokov's second game came a 2-1 win over Vancouver. Edmonton's goaltender made 31 saves and earned the first star for his efforts. Hall was injured in the game and is expected to miss a couple of games. Omark was called up to replace him.

Oct 17th: Led by first star Dubinsky and finally a solid performance from Khabibulin, Edmonton managed to sweep the home and home series against Vancouver with a 6-3 win. With this Edmonton is now 10th with a .500 record in 6 games.

Oct 21st: Relaxed from a few days off, Edmonton continued their winning run by beating then first place Detroit by a score of 5-2. Nabokov played well in nets while Wheeler's goal and assist were enough to make him first star.

Oct 23rd: A stellar performance by Budaj allowed Phoenix to hand Edmonton a 3-1 loss and end the winning streak. It was Nabokov's first loss.

Oct 25th: Cogliano's strong play continues to show his desire to remain in Edmonton with a 4 point night (1 goal, 3 assists) in a 6-4 victory over Anaheim.

Oct 26th: Hall celebrated his return with a goal and Khabibulin proved he intends to fight for the starter position in a 3-1 win over Phoenix.

Oct 28th: Edmonton closed out the month with a 3-1 loss to the Jets. While Winnipeg did not dominate it's opponent it got better play from Mason than Edmonton got from Nabokov.

[Sushamiboy]

Nov 1st: Edmonton fans were given another reason to smile about as their future seems to be in good hands. Nugent-Hopkins was named the WHL Player of the Month for October while Brule was both the AHL Player of the Month and AHL Rookie of the month. The Oilers celebrated with a 4-2 win over the Predators.

Nov 3rd: In a tightly battled game Dallas came out the victors with a 3-2 win over Edmonton. Fans were left wanting more as it was a rather bland game.

Nov 7th: Edmonton lost a second game in a row, dropping the game 3-1 against Montreal. In the Oilers defence, Montreal is in first place of the Eastern Conference. The Habs have notably added Vokoun, Langenbrunner, Stillman, and O'Brien among others.

Nov 8th: A change of goaltender did not change the score as Detroit beat Edmonton 3-1. The Wings were greatly helped by first star Howard who made 30 saves while Khabibulin made 22 saves. After the game Eberle was sent to the minors while O'Marra was called up.

Nov 10th: It took very little time for there to be blood in the water. The Oliers lost their fourth game in a row, this time losing 3-2 to the Blue Jackets. While some fans are calling for GM Cloutier's head, others are remarking how the Oilers are better than last season. One or two changes should do the trick according to one site.

Nov 12th: The slide continues! Saint Louis beats Edmonton 3-1 as the offence continues to struggle in oil country. Sources say a trade may be in the works with Toronto to improve Edmonton's forwards but that would mean that a goaltender is going the other way. Fear that newcomer Nabokov might already be leaving is being heard from fans.

Nov 13th: Outcry in Edmonton is reaching astronomical proportions as Edmonton lost 3-1 against Colorado. No one seems to know what to do to correct this. GM Cloutier was unavailable for questions as he is busy talking with other GMs.

Nov 15th: GM Cloutier announced a trade in hopes of reviving his team. While admitting he may have given up more that he should he feels the new players will add greatly to the team. Edmonton sent Nikolai Khabibulin, the rights to Theo Peckham and David Musil, as well as a 2nd and 3rd round pick to Toronto for Clarke MacArthur and Mikhail Grabovski. Given all the changes coach Hartley wanted to let fans in on the new lines.

Forwards
Cogliano-Dubinsky-Hemsky
Smyth-Horcoff-Wheeler
MacArthur-Grabovski-O'Marra
Hordichuk-Primeau-Petrell

Defense
Whitney-Foster
Smid-Wilson
Muir-Petry

Goalies
Nabokov
Lalime

It was noted that Grabovski would be centering the second powerplay unit.

Nov 16th: While not the offensive game they were looking for, Edmonton managed to beat St Louis 2-1 thanks to an overtime goal by Horcoff. Nabokov was solid in his net, now the undisputed number one tender. Grabovski scored in his first game.

Nov 18th: Edmonton managed another win finally getting the goals they have been looking for. They beat Detroit 5-2. None of the offense came from the two new comers who both had a very disappointing game.

Nov 19th: Hall was named the OHL Player of the Week, showing that being returned to the juniors was a good thing. Nugent-Hopkins continues his great play being the WHL Player of the Week.

Nov 21st: A massacre occurred as Calgary pummelled Edmonton 7-2. Nabokov was pulled after letting in 4 goals on 15 shots. Lalime, seeing his first action of the year, was not much better letting in 3 goals on 19 shots.

Nov 24th: Edmonton lost 2-1 to Chicago in a shootout. Nabokov was first star with an inspiring performance hopefully showing he put the humiliating loss behind him. Horcoff had the Oiler's only goal.

Nov 28th: A couple of depth moves were made before the start of the game against Anaheim. Edmonton traded the rights to Aleksandr Bumagin to Vancouver for Greg Moore. Edmonton also sent Ryan O'Marra and the rights to Curtis Hamilton to Washington for Anthony Stewart. The move had little impact on the game as Moore stays in the AHL and Stewart slid into O'Marra's third line right wing spot. Nabokov stole another game earning his first shutout as The Oilers beat the Ducks 2-0.

Nov 30th: Fixing what GM Cloutier called the last obvious hole, Edmonton signed Landon Wilson to fill the fourth line right wing. Petrell was sent down to Oklahoma City. The move did not help the team from losing 4-2 against Colorado in another blown game by Nabokov who let in 4 goals in 13 shots.

[Sushamiboy]

Dec 1st: The start of the month again brought some positive prospect news. Nugent-Hopkins (WHL), Hall (OHL), and O. Roy (QMJHL, Defensive) were all named Player of the Month. Gagner was awarded Rookie of the Month in the AHL. Nugent-Hopkins was also named first star in the 7-2 win of the WHL All-Stars versus the Russian Selects.

Dec 2nd: The humiliations continue as Edmonton was shutout 4-0 by Columbus. Gagner had come in to replace Dubinsky who was suspended for the game. An exasperated GM Cloutier was unavailable to speak to the press. Hartley spoke about the “heartless” play of the team. In other news, Omark was named AHL Player of the Week.

Dec 4th: Although absolutely dominating first place Vancouver all game, a stellar Luongo stopped 44 shots to help the Canucks win 2-1 over the Oilers. Unless a solution is found another first round pick may be in Edmonton's future.

Dec 6th: While losing 4-3 in overtime to Florida, the good news was that at least Edmonton got a point. It was Lalime's first start with the Oilers.

Dec 8th: Finally a win in December as Edmonton beat Dallas 7-5. The Oiler's third line dominated as first star Anthony Stewart got 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist) and third star Clarke MacArthur got 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists).

Dec 10th: Edmonton returned to losing as it was defeated 5-3 by Chicago. Rumors say that some of the more known veterans should start feeling the heat with talk of trades circulating the league.

Dec 12th: Destroyed! An 8-2 loss to Nashville has the fans of Edmonton scratching their heads as to when there will be a change that will fix things. The press is already writing off the Oilers for the playoffs. Nabokov was pulled after letting in 5 goals on 18 shots.

Dec 14th: The Oilers bounced back with a 6-2 win over the Wild. They were backstopped by a strong performance by Lalime and first star Cogliano who had a 3 point night (2 goals, 1 assist). The win allowed Edmonton to leave last place in the west.

Dec15th: Edmonton managed to string back to back wins by beating Colorado in a goal fiesta that ended 8-6. With the Avalanche's two top tenders injured it allowed for the top line to combine for 13 points. Cogliano (3 goals, 1 assist), Dubinsky (2 goals, 3 assists), Hemsky (2 goals, 2 assists), Whitney (2 assists), Wheeler (2 assists), and Wilson (4 assists) had a multiple point game.

Dec 16th: In what many are calling a desperation move, GM Cloutier improved secondary scoring. The Oilers acquired Eric Fehr in exchange for Gilbert Brule, Taylor Chorney, the rights to Oscar Klefbom, and a second round pick. During the press conference it was said that depth at center made that Brule was expendable.

Dec 19th: With a great performance by Nabokov who was second star of the game with 26 saves and a 2 point game by first star Wheeler (1 goal, 1 assist), Edmonton beat Colorado 3-1.

Dec 21st: Edmonton wins its fourth game in a row beating Phoenix 8-4. Six players had multiple point nights. Someone from the press remarked after the game that offence does not seem to be the issue in oil country but some work on defence would not hurt.

Dec 23rd: Fehr provided some good play in a 4-3 Edmonton loss to Dallas. Overall the team was satisfied with the effort as the team was not dominated and strong play continued.

Dec 24th: Tyler Pitlick was named WHL player of the Week.

Dec 28th: The Oilers continue their solid play with a 3-1 win over Los Angeles. The first line played ever well as they each obtained 2 points.

Dec 30th: Vancouver beat Edmonton 3-2 in a tight game. While another loss, coach Hartley mentioned how the team effort has been on the rise.

Dec 31st: Lalime continued his strong play as backup with a 5-2 victory over Calgary. The Oilers have been playing very well of late 6-4-0 record in the last 10 games. Hopes of squeezing into the playoffs have once again returned.

[Sushamiboy]

Jan 1st: Oilers' future continues to top monthly honors as O. Roy was the QMJHL Defensive Player of the Month.

Jan 2nd: Resigning season has started with A. Plante signing on for an 2 years at $1 130 000 per. Later in the day Oilers dropped a game 4-3 to Tampa Bay. Trying to give Lalime a second game to reward his play of late turned out to be a mistake as Nabokov had to come in after 3 goals were allowed on the first 3 shots.

Jan 3rd: Petry resigned to a 2 years deal at $1 030 000 per.

Jan 4th: Gagner signs for 3 additional seasons at $2 580 000 per and Emelin at $1 080 000 for 2 years. Later in the day Edmonton beat Dallas 5-1 with Nabokov returning as the starter. R. Wilson got the first star with two goals and adding an assist on a Grabovski goal.

Jan 5th: L. Wilson signed on for an additional year at $450 000 while Dubnyk added 2 seasons at $880 000. Edmonton managed to beat Vancouver 4-3 with their second line producing most of the offense.

Jan 6th: Grabovski signs for 2 more years at $3 190 000 per. Foster signs for another 3 years at $1 980 000. Cogliano, a dominant player since the beginning of the season, will be staying three more seasons with a price tag of $1.7 million. G. Moore also will stay three years at $725 000.

Jan 8th: There were 3 more resignings before the game with Omark (2yrs/$965 000), Hemsky (3yrs/$4 490 000), and Nabokov (1yr/$740 000) put ink to paper. In other pre-game news, O. Roy was named QMJHL Defensive Player of the Week and Gagner the AHL Player of the Week. Edmonton returned to being a .500 team with a 3-2 win over Los Angeles.

Jan 10th: The Oilers remain a .500 team with an overtime loss to San Jose. Third star Hemsky provided most of the offense with a 2 goal night and an assist on MacArthur's goal.

Jan 12th: Fehr signs on for 3 more seasons at $2 900 000 per. He found the perfect way to celebrate getting a hat trick, an assist, and the first star in a 6-0 win over Minnesota. Nabokov was the third star in the shutout win.

Jan 13th: Fans are already shouting out Stanley cup as Edmonton wins another game, this time beating Calgary 5-2 fueled by a Grabovski hat trick. Cogliano was injured during the game and Dubinsky increased his point streak to 10 games. In other news, several teams have inquired about Paajarvi. The asking price is thought to be very steep.

Jan 14th: Fans and owners were outraged as Oilers traded with the Ducks today. Magnus Paajarvi, as well as Ales Hemsky and Mikhail Grabovski went to Anaheim for Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan. Other deals in the works included such names as Kovalckuk and M. Koivu. GM Cloutier explained that depth at left wing with T. Hall, Cogliano, and Omark made that Paajarvi could be moved. Ryan is thought to be an upgrade over Hemsky. Grabovski was added in to make room for Getzlaf's salary. This news hid the fact that O. Roy was again the QMJHL Defensive Player of the Week.

Jan 16th: Edmonton's newcomers showed they were happy to be on their new team as the Oilers won 4-1 over the Wild. Getzlaf had 2 goals, both assisted by Ryan.

Jan 18th: The honeymoon continued as Edmonton beat Anaheim 5-2. Getzlaf and Ryan again each got a couple of points. The Oilers peppered the Duck goalie with 64 shots.

Jan 20th: Great play by Nabokov, first star with 26 saves, helped Edmonton beat Calgary 3-1.

Jan 21st: T. Hall is the OHL Player of the Week. Gagner is the AHL Player of the Week.

Jan 25th: Montreal reportedly approached GM Coutier about acquiring T. Hall but were quickly told that he was not available. Later in the day Washington admitted they would be willing to trade Ovechkin for Hall if the deal was right. GM Cloutier however stated that T. Hall would not be traded.

Jan 26th: The domination continues as Edmonton beat San Jose 6-4. Fans have begun quieting down about the recent trade but rumbling are that if Hall is traded that GM Cloutier's head will be the price.

Jan 27th: Los Angeles finally ends Edmonton's run winning 5-2 ending a six game streak.

Jan 29th: Nugent-Hopkins is the WHL Player of the Week. Eberle is the AHL player of the Week.

Jan 31st: After not succeeding at landing T. Hall, Washington came back trying to get Eberle. GM Cloutier stated that while a deal to obtain Ovechkin was tempting that he was not trading away any more prospects right now and was very proud of his current team. Motivated by their general manager's faith in them, the Oilers beat Columbus 4-2.

[Sushamiboy]

Feb 1st: WHL Player of the Month was Nugent-Hopkins. O. Roy was the QMJHL Defensive Player of the Month. Gagner was the AHL Rookie and Player of the Month. Owners made a $20.5M infusion. The Oilers were beaten by the Canucks 3-1 later that evening.

Feb 3rd: Led by the strong performance of their second line and backup Lalime making a return to the team beat Colorado 5-3.

Feb 5th: The Edmonton overtime loss to Carolina by the score of 6-5 was a costly one. Lalime was far from at the top of his game and Dubinsky was injured. The fractured shin is thought to take 3 months to heal.

Feb 6th: Edmonton renewed with victory after defeating Vancouver 4-3. Getzlaf was first star with a goal and an assist while MacArthur, promoted to the second line to replace Dubinsky, got a goal.

Feb 7th: With the trade deadline fast approaching several top names are being discussed as M. Koivu, Pronger, and T. Ruutu may change address. As it stands right now GM Cloutier has mentioned he doubts moving any players.

Feb 9th: The players showed that the trade deadline did not bother them as Edmonton beat Chicago 6-4. This helped narrow the gap to 9 points between the 5th place Blackhawks and the 6th place Oilers. Wheeler was injured during the game.

Feb 11th: Nugent-Hopkins is the WHL Player of the Week.

Feb 13th: A poor game by Nabokov spelled doom for Edmonton as they lost 5-3 against Boston.

Feb 15th: Edmonton beats Buffalo 3-1. The team was led by the great play of Horcoff who got 2 goals and an assist to earn the first star. Nabokov bounced back with a 29 save game that led to being the third star.

Feb 17th: Injuries are beginning to mount as Cogliano will be out for a month, joining Dubinsky and Wheeler in the press box. He was injured in a 3-2 loss to Toronto.

Feb 18th: Nugent-Hopkins is the WHL Player of the Year.

Feb 20th: MacArthur scored both goals and Nabokov made 27 saves in a 2-1 win over Ottawa.

Feb 22nd: Edmonton's solid play continues as they beat Columbus 4-1. First star Fehr had 3 assists. Nabokov was solid once again.

Feb 23rd: The Oilers showed that while they are an improved team they still have some ways to go before being a top contender. Edmonton was pummelled 8-0 by first place Detroit who chased away Nabokov after scoring 4 goals on 14 shots. Lalime did not do that much better allowing 4 goals on 23 shots.

Feb 25th: With the trade deadline behind them Edmonton lost 5-3 to Minnesota. All 5 goals were scored on Lalime in 11 shots. Nabokov stepped in and stopped all 20 remaining shots. Earlier Nugent-Hopkins was named the WHL Player of the Week.

Feb 27th: Another game in the win column and another player in the clinic as Edmonton defeated Phoenix 4-2. Petry will be out for 3 weeks.

[Sushamiboy]

Mar 1st: Eberle was named the AHL Rookie and Player of the Month. A 2 goal, 1 assist performance from Fehr led to a 4-3 win over Minnesota.

Mar 3rd: Even with two beautiful powerplay goals Edmonton could not help losing 3-2 against Calgary. Edmonton still maintained its hold on 6th place.

Mar 7th: Ovechkin seemed to want to show Edmonton fans that they should have acquired his services when they had the chance as he scored twice. The Oilers, though, managed to win 5-2 against the Washington.\

Mar 9th: Edmonton loses another game as they were between by Anaheim by the score of 3-2. Getzlaf was injured during practice before the game. Gagner was called in to replace him.

Mar 11th: Lalime was unable to help Edmonton beat San Jose as they fell 4-1. Cogliano returned in the loss and got an assist on Stewart's goal.

Mar 12th: Nugent-Hopkins was named the WHL Player of the Week. Edmonton dropped another game as they were shutout 4-0 by Los Angeles. Nabokov played a decent game but received no help from his forwards.

Mar 15th: After three straight losses Edmonton beat Minnesota by a score of 4-2. Fehr was first star with a goal and an assist.

Mar 17th: St Louis has handed Edmonton another loss by the score of 3-1. Getzlaf returned during this game.

Mar 19th: Again Edmonton manages to beat Vancouver in a 3-1 game. With two assists Ryan was named first star.

Mar 21st: Nabokov helped shutout Colorado as Edmonton won 5-0. With three assists Ryan was again named first star. With Colorado being in seventh place behind Edmonton's sixth, the win increased the gap to 11 points.

Mar 23rd: Edmonton added another 2 points between them and Colorado winning 5-4 against them. Stewart was named first star with a goal and an assist. Currently there seems to be no real way that Edmonton will leave the sixth place as Anaheim is too far behind having taken over the seventh spot and Chicago is too far ahead in fifth. If the playoffs were to start now the Oilers would face the Kings which would not be the best team for them to beat.

Mar 24th: First star Fehr scored two goals in a 4-3 win over Nashville. Lalime struggled all game but his team saved him with a strong offence.

Mar 27th: The Oilers got good news just before the game against the Predators as they were told they were officially in the playoffs. The owners mentioned they were very pleased and that GM Cloutier and coach Hartley were to be thanked. It was mentioned however that the blatant disregard for budgeting by GM Cloutier would not be tolerated and that cuts had to be made during the offseason. Smyth, often scratched this season, is a very likely casualty as he has not been resigned. Edmonton beat Nashville 2-1 thanks to a strong game by Nabokov. Fehr was injured and will be out for a month.

Mar 29th: Strong play by Ryan, who was named first star for his 3 point night (2 goals, 1 assist), led the Oilers to a 5-2 win over St Louis.

[Sushamiboy]

Apr 1st: Nugent-Hopkins was named WHL Player of the Month. Gagner was named AHL Rookie of the Month. Edmonton won over Chicago 5-3. Surprisingly only 3 points separate the two teams.

Apr 2nd: Eberle was named AHL Player of the Week.

Apr 3rd: Looking to finish the season off strong, Edmonton beat Minnesota 3-1. Only two games remain before the playoffs and the gap between the Oilers and the Blackhawks remains at 3 points, while Chicago has an extra game to play.

Apr 5th: Edmonton took a nice step today as they adding a game to the win column while Chicago lost. The Oilers beat the Wild 4-1. Cogliano had a 4 point night (2 goals, 2 assists). Sadly Getzlaf was injured and will miss the last game of the season.

Apr 7th: After winning 9 straight games, Edmonton was clobbered 7-2 by Calgary. This ended the hopes of gaining fifth place. Nabokov let in 4 goals on 15 shots while Lalime did not fare much better with 3 goals against on 14 shots.

Apr 8th: The Detroit Red Wings won the President's Trophy. Edmonton will face Los Angeles. Both teams split 4 games but the Kings outscored the Oilers 12-8.

Apr 9th: Edmonton Oilers player stats:

Leaders
Goals – Fehr (39) [26th]
Assists – Getzlaf (55) [15th]
Points – Getzlaf (86) [28th]
Plus/Minus – Fehr (+33) [18th]
PIM – Hordichuk (350) [2nd]
SOG – Ryan (335) [11th]
HT – Primeau (314) [4th]
SB – Primeau (164) [1st]
TA – Primeau (29) [40th]
GAA – Nabokov (2.65) [21st]
SV% – Nabokov (0.909) [27th]
AvR – Getzlaf (8.79) [11th]

Points by Line
Cogliano (75) – Getzlaf (86) – Ryan (84)
Dubinsky (59) – Horcoff (62) – Fehr (81)
MacArthur (36) – Stewart (34) – Wheeler (31)
Hordichuk (6) – Primeau (16) – L. Wilson (13)

Smyth (28) – Gagner (10) – Omark (5) – Petrell (1) – Hall (5) – Eberle (4)

Whitney (41) – Foster (30)
Smid (26) – R. Wilson (42)
Muir (15) – Petry (12)

Emelin (0) – Plante (0)

Nabokov (39w)
Lalime (5w)

Standings
6th – 46W – 32L – 4OTL – 96PTS – 267GF – 243GA – .585W% – 14.8PP% – 83.0PK%

Apr 10th: Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in the series with a 4-2 win over Edmonton. It was a pretty one-sided game as the Kings outshot the Oilers by a 47-24 margin.

Apr 12th: Los Angeles takes a 2-0 lead using their home-ice advantage to the fullest. Edmonton was unable to beat the Kings in overtime, dropping the game by a score of 3-2 as Kopitar scored his second of the game with 52 seconds remaining in the first overtime period.

Apr 14th: Los Angeles has a 2-1 lead. Edmonton won 3-2 in second overtime. Dubinsky's second goal of the game at 6:59 of the fifth period and a first star performance by Nabokov led to this important win.

Apr 16th: Los Angeles takes a 3-1 lead. The Kings took the game with a 5-3 win. Nabokov's performance left a lot to be desired.

Apr 18th: Los Angeles takes the series 4-1. The Kings won 5-4 in overtime with another poor Nabokov performance to help them. GM Cloutier said he was disappointed by elimination but that his team making the playoffs was to be considered a success and a step forward.

Apr 28th: 10 days after their elimination Edmonton officially announced that Smyth would not be returning next season. Also GM Cloutier announced that in May he would release an evaluation of where his teams stands and what changes may be coming.

Apr 29th: Gagner was named AHL Player of the Week.

[Sushamiboy]

May 5th: Team Assessment by GM Cloutier:

Forwards
“This is were most of my efforts went this season. The signings of Dubinsky and Wheeler really helped the team along the way. Acquiring MacArthur and Grabovski by trade had been done to try to add depth to the team. While I was sad to see a youngster like Paajarvi go, there was no way I could pass on a chance to add Getzlaf and Ryan. I passed up on the chance to acquire Ovechkin as I did not want to lose the services of either T. Hall or Eberle. I believe was have a strong core of players as well as a bright future. I was disappointed by the play of Gagner in the NHL but his stellar play in the AHL gave me hope. Primeau was a fantastic addition, making our 4th line very respectable. Although a leader both on the ice and off, Smyth just did not seem to fit in our plans at any time.”

Defence
“I was very proud of what our current defenceman did. Whitney was the leader he needed to be. Acquiring R. Wilson had the hopes of getting a decent dman and he turned to be quite a performer. Smid and Foster were both very solid contributers. Emelin and Plante proved they will require more seasoning in the minors. Petry will continue to play third pairing minutes while Muir will be let go due to age. The acquisition of some prospects will be a goal in the offseason.”

Goaltending
“Early in the season I had lost confidence in Khabibulin and needed to find a replacement. When Nabokov became available I jumped at the occasion to add the seasoned veteran. I had high hopes for Lalime as backup and he delivered at first. Nabokov is a great choice as a started but we will most likely be looking at alternatives for a backup.”

May 13th: Gagner is the AHL Player of the Week.

May 20th: T. Hall was awarded the Red Tilson Trophy as the Most Outstanding Player of the Year in the OHL. The QMJHL Jacques Plante Trophy was awarded to O. Roy. Nugent-Hopkins was the winner of three trophies, the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy, the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy, and Bob Clarke Trophy.

May 28th: The Vancouver Canucks defeated the New York Rangers in four games to win the Stanley Cup.

[Sushamiboy]

June 1st: Gagner was named AHL Player and Rookie of the Month.

June 9th: In an effort to add to dman prospect depth, Edmonton signed 20 year old free agent Andy Blanke to an entry level deal.

June 10th: True to his word, GM Cloutier traded Patrick Lalime to Nashville for a 6th round pick.

June 12th: Edmonton was among the Trophy winners today as Ryan was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy. Ryan also came in 3rd for the Calder. Primeau came in third for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. Ryan was named to the NHL Rookie All-Star Team.

June 14th: Another dman prospect was added as Edmonton signed 20 year old Garrett Leedahl to an entry level contract.

June 16th: The Entry Draft order was announced as Philadelphia won the lottery. Edmonton will be drafting in 17th place. The Oilers currently own 5 picks.

June 23rd: Just before the start of the Entry Draft, Edmonton acquired the rights to Denis Kulyash for a 5th round pick. The draft is said to be a very shallow pool of talent.

Draft
17th – Nick Ebert – RD/LD – Offensive Defenseman, 5-6 potential
77th – Destry Straight – C – Skilled Offensive Forward, 2nd line potential
107th – Drydn Dow – LD – Skilled Defenseman, 5-6 potential
178th – Matthew Pufahl – LD/RD – Skilled Defenseman, 7 potential

June 25th – Eberle was awarded the Red Garrett Memorial Trophy, the AHL Scoring Leader Award, and the Willie Marshall Award

June 30th – Ryan Getzlaf was voted Fans' Player of the Year.

[Sushamiboy]

July 6th – Edmonton acquires Tangradi from Carolina for the rights to Johan Morin and a 2nd round pick.

July 7th – Ryan Wilson was signed as a restricted free agent for 3 years at $1 120 000 per

July 12th – GM Cloutier may be making enemies as he signed Patrick Kaleta by way of an offer sheet for $925 000 per season for two years.

July 14th – In a depth move made to replace Muir, Edmonton signed dman Mark Eaton for 2 years at $600 000 per. Using the offer sheet method again, Al Montoya was brought in at $850 000 per year for 2 seasons.

July 15th – Edmonton has again solidified their goaltending by signing Tuukka Rask to 2 year deal at $2 940 000 per season.

July 18th – In another offer sheet move Nick Petrecki was brought in at the cost of $950 000 per season for 2 years.

[Sushamiboy]

Aug 14th: With a very dull August GM Cloutier offers his depth chart

Goalies
Rask
Nabokov
Montoya
Dubnyk
Roy

Defensemen
Whitney
Foster
R.Wilson
Smid
Eaton
Petry
Emelin
Kulyash (unsigned - pending)
Petrecki
Plante
Leedahl
Blanke
Dow (unsigned)
Ebert (unsigned)
Pufahl (unsigned)

Left Wing
T. Hall
Cogliano
MacArthur
Omark
Tangradi
Hordichuk
Reddox
Mikhnov (unsigned - pending)
Niederreiter
Radunske (unsigned)
Prince (unsigned)

Center
Getzlaf
Dubinsky
Horcoff
Gagner
Stewart
Primeau
Lander
Nugent-Hopkins (unsigned – pending)
Zhukov (unsigned – pending)
Straight

Right Wing
Ryan
Fehr
Wheeler
Eberle
Kaleta
G. Moore
Rajala
L.Wilson
Pitlick

Bests
Biggest Star - Getzlaf
Team Leader – L. Wilson
Best Skater – G. Moore
Best Shooter – Getzlaf
Hardest Shot – Getzlaf
Best Faceoff Man – Horcoff
Best Stickhandler – Omark
Best Checker – Primeau
Best Enforcer – Hordichuk
Most Physical – Getzlaf
Most Overrated – L. Wilson
Most Underrated – Hordichuk

Top 12 Prospects
Nugent-Hopkins
T. Hall
Rask
Gagner
Eberle
Ebert
Straight
Omark
Lander
Niederreiter
Dow
Prince

[Sushamiboy]

Sept 4th: Only a few days before camp, Edmonton announced the signing of Nugent-Hopkins to an Entry level deal. Rumblings are that Horcoff could be waived since he refuses to be traded. Edmonton is very deep down the middle with Getzlaf and Dubinsky having passed him on the depth chart.

Sept 14th: Training camp will soon be underway but in the meantime Edmonton lost its first pre-season game to Washington by the score of 4-2. There are 46 players are attending the camp including 5 tryout players.

Sept 17th: Dressing no veterans and only propects Edmonton was annihilated 10-2 by Montreal.

Sept 19th: The Hockey News ranked Edmonton 13th in the NHL. They stated that Getzlaf was the team MVP and Rask was the key new face. Still using an all rookie lineup Edmonton lost 5-2 against Boston.

Sept 20th: Dressing a mix of veterans and rookies Edmonton still lost 6-1 against Vancouver.

Sept 24th: Edmonton fought hard to come up with a 2-1 shootout victory over Calgary.

Sept 25th: Edmonton won their final game with what is assumed to be their final roster. They beat the Kings 3-2. Horcoff is still part of the roster and Gagner was again returned to the AHL.

Sept 26th: With talk of too much depth down the middle Edmonton made a deal with Philadelphia. The Flyers had looked into the services of Gagner. After some negotiations GM Cloutier sent Sam Gagner, the rights to Destry Straight, and the rights to Drydn Dow to Philadelphia for Matt Carle and the rights to Sean Couturier.

Sept 30th: The Hockey News released their top 10s by position. From Edmonton, Getzlaf ranked 8th among centers, Ryan 10th right winger, and for propects Eberle, Couturier, Hall, and Nugent-Hopkins are the top 4.

[Sushamiboy]

Oct 1st: Nugent-Hopkins was the WHL Player of the Month and WHL Player of the Week. Couturier was named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Week.

Oct 2nd: Edmonton signed Couturier to an entry level contract.

Oct 5th: Couturier was sent back down to his junior team before the game against Calgary. The Oilers were beaten 4-3 in shootout. It was Rask's first game in nets. Horcoff, who had a goal, was named first star.

Oct 6th: The Oilers picked up Rob Scuderi off the waivers to be over the salary cap floor.

Oct 7th: Edmonton won their first game of the season beating out Columbus in the shootout by a score of 5-4. During the game Whitney was injured and will be out for about 10 days.

Oct 8th: Couturier was named the QMJHL Offensive Player of the Week.

Oct 10th: Nabokov played his first game, helping Edmonton to a 5-1 victory over Minnesota. Stewart was named first star with 1 goal and 2 assists.

Oct 12th: Whitney, who ended up not missing a single game, was injured again during a 4-3 shootout win over Carolina. Nabokov played a solid game.

Oct 14th: Edmonton beat St Louis 6-4. Fehr was named first star with a 4 point (2 goals, 2 assist) performance. Ryan was injured in the game.

Oct 15th: Couturier was named QMJHL Player of the Week.

Oct 16th: MacArthur was a healthy scratch and Tangradi played his first game as the Oilers lost 3-2 in a shootout. Rask was solid in the Edmonton net.

Oct 20th: Edmonton continues to be undefeated in regulation time as they lost 3-2 in overtime. Whitney was first star with a goal and an assist while Rask was again in goal.

Oct 21st: Anaheim handed Edmonton their first regulation loss in a 2-1 game. Getzlaf scored the Oilers' only game while Nabokov made 27 saves.

Oct 22nd: Couturier was named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Week.

Oct 25th: Horcoff was injured during a 4-2 win over Phoenix. He is expected to be out for 2 months. Nabokov with a 35 save performance was named 3rd star while Ryan was first star with a hat trick and an assist.

Oct 27th: Coach Hartley continued his switching of goaltenders as Rask backstopped a 4-2 win over Dallas. Cogliano's 2 goals earned him the first star of the game.

Oct 29th: Nugent-Hopkins was named WHL Player of the Week. Rask was stellar in 3-2 win over Calgary. He made 49 saves and was named second star.

[Sushamiboy]

Nov 1st: Nugent-Hopkins was named WHL Player of the Month. Couturier was named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Month. Rask was named NHL Rookie of the Month.

Nov 2nd: Nabokov showed he does not want to take the backseat to Rask, shutting out Minnesota in a in a 5-0 win. During the game, first star Ryan got a hat trick, giving him 10 goals in 12 games.

Nov 4th: Edmonton lost 5-2 against Columbus. Nabokov gave a weak game allowing 5 goals on 29 shots. Getzlaf was first star with 2 goals.

Nov 5th: Couturier was named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Week.

Nov 7th: With Rask returning in nets, Edmonton beat Anaheim 5-2. Getzlaf's hat trick earned him the first star.

Nov 11th: Edmonton won the first of two games in two nights. The first is against Phoenix where they won 4-2. Whitney was first star with a goal and an assist.

Nov 12th: Before the game against Dallas, Couturier was named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Week. The Oilers were beaten 3-2 by the Stars. Nabokov returned in goal for the loss.

Nov 14th: Nabokov beat his old team with a 31 game performance helping Edmonton win 3-2 in overtime against San Jose.

Nov 16th: A low scoring game ended in a 1-0 win by Edmonton. First star Rask blocked 20 Columbus shots and Fehr scored the only goal.

Nov 18th: Rask made 39 saves in a 2-1 Edmonton loss to Calgary. Wheeler scored the Oilers only goal.

Nov 19th: Nugent-Hopkins was named WHL Player of the Week. Couturier was named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Week. Also Edmonton traded Jeff Petry to Nashville for a 3rd round pick.

Nov 20th: It was a costly game as Edmonton beat Montreal 4-2. Getzlaf (2 goals, 1 assist) was first star, Smid (1goal, 1 assist) was second star, and Rask (32 saves) was third star. Fehr was injured and will be out for 3 months with a fractured shin. Eberle was called up to replace him.

Nov 22nd: Rask was pulled as after he let in 5 goals on 18 shots in a 6-3 loss to Buffalo. Eberle was unimpressive in his first game since being called up.

Nov 24th: Even a strong performance by Nabokov (44 saves) could not help Edmonton from losing its second regulation game in a row for the first time this season. The Sharks won by a score of 4-2.

Nov 25th: Edmonton renewed with victory as Rask's 35 save, third star game led to a 3-2 shootout win over St Louis.

Nov 29th: There was good news before the game as it was announced Horcoff will be able to return to full practice in about 3 weeks. GM Cloutier mentioned he would not be reintegrated in the lineup until his health is 100%. In other news, it was said that Scuderi was to be in the press box and Eaton to take his place. The Oilers lost 3-1 to Anaheim. After sustaining a stubbed finger it was said Getzlaf will be day-to-day. Hordichuk asked to be traded after he was criticized by the media for his play and was blamed for the lost.

[Sushamiboy]

Dec 1st: Nugent-Hopkins was named WHL Player of the Month. Couturier was named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Month. Rask was named NHL Rookie of the Month. Edmonton beat Chicago 5-3 thanks to a first star, 2 goal game from Cogliano. After the game it was announced that the Oilers acquired Eric Boulton from Florida for Devon Dubnyk. GM Cloutier said he brought in Boulton, who leads the NHL with 192 penalty minutes in 26 games, to replace Hordichuk who he is trying to move.

Dec 2nd: Nabokov first start in a while did not go well as Los Angeles beat Edmonton 6-1. Eberle scored Edmonton's only goal.

Dec 5th: Edmonton lost another game as Nashville beat them 5-3.

Dec 7th: The Oilers were beaten for a third game in a row. Edmonton was defeated 4-3 by Vancouver.

Dec 9th: The slide continues as Edmonton was dropped 5-3 by Nashville.

Dec 12th: Edmonton ended its slump beating Vancouver 4-3 in a shootout win. Ryan was the first star with a goal and 2 assists. Hordichuk was placed on waivers after the game.

Dec 14th: A first star game by Rask (33 saves) led to a 3-1 victory over Colorado.

Dec 15th: A quote from online: “Edmonton is a middle of the pack team. They are not really a playoff threat, yet. Give this team three to five years and they'll be one of the biggest threats. Right now though, they are too good for the opposition to expect an easy win but not good enough to instill fear. Every game needs to be hard fought for them to come out on top.”

Dec 16th: Edmonton beat Minnesota 4-3. Ryan was first star with 3 assists. It was mentioned after the game that Carle had not scored in 26 games.

Dec 17th: Nugent-Hopkins was named WHL Player of the Week. Couturier was named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Week.

Dec 18th: Tampa Bay defeated Edmonton 3-2 in a close fought game.

Dec 19th: Dubinsky gave Edmonton fans their money's worth as he got two goals and two assists to help lead the Oilers to a 6-2 stomping over the Wild.

Dec 22nd: The first line really came through as Edmonton beat Chicago 5-1. Ryan (1 goal, 2 assists), Cogliano (1goal, 3 assists), and Getzlaf (2 goals, 1 assist) were the 3 stars.

Dec 23rd: Chicago beat Edmonton in the second game of their home-and-home 4-3 in a shootout. Nabokov made 30 saves in his first game since December 2nd when he allowed 6 goals against Los Angeles.

Dec 26th: Edmonton lose another with Nabokov in nets as Buffalo won the game 3-2. Ryan was injured in the game and will miss up to a week.

Dec 27th: Nabokov earned forgiveness for the previous two games helping beat the Blackhawks 4-2. Stewart was first star with a goal and a pair of assists.

Dec 29th: Rask did not celebrate his return as Edmonton lost 5-4 against St Louis even with Cogliano getting 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists).

Dec 31st: Before the game it was announced that Couturier was named QMJHL Player of the Week. In a game where both Dubinsky and Stewart left with injuries, Edmonton won 4-2 against Dallas.

[Sushamiboy]

Jan 1st: Couturier was named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Month. Contract negotiations have begun with several players.

Jan 2nd: Edmonton brought in the new year with a 5-2 loss against Florida. Boulton was injured in the game and will likely miss 3 weeks. Hordichuk will be recalled. After the game it was announced that Hall signed a 3 year contract extension at $2 050 000 per season. Whitney also signed a 3 year deal at $4 400 000. Also signing for 3 years, Eberle accepted $1 580 000 per year.

Jan 3rd: Edmonton picked up a 2nd round pick and a 7th round pick from Vancouver in exchange for Clarke MacArthur. GM Cloutier on the trade:

“Sometimes a team can have too much depth. With Horcoff returning we realized we had to many players for the amount of spots available. Since Nugent-Hopkins and Couturier will not be ready for another season it was decided that Horcoff would not be moved unless he requested it. We decided to trade MacArthur because his play had not been up to our liking and it gave us some picks to concentrate on our future.”

Jan 4th: Edmonton lost another game as they were beaten by Winnipeg 3-1. Omark was called up as Dubinsky was still injured. Rask made 47 saves.

Jan 5th: More contract extensions as Getzlaf signed a two year deal ($6 250 000 per) and Carle also signed a two year deal ($3 900 000).

Jan 6th: The Oilers are still searching for their first win this year as they were easily defeated by Calgary 6-1. Rask was chased from the game after letting in 4 goals on 13 shots. The board of directors expressed their displeasure with the results.

Jan 8th: Two more extensions were signed, Boulton (1 year, $475 000) and Tangradi (3 year, $1 300 000).

Jan 9th: Oilers finally won a game in January. Getzlaf scored in overtime to help Edmonton win 3-2 over Vancouver. Rask made 36 saves.

Jan 11th: Oilers manage to string two wins together as they overcame Minnesota by a score of 3-1. Getzlaf was first star with 2 goals while third star Rask made 25 saves.

Jan 12th: Conklin and the Avalanche shutout the Oilers 3-0. Nabokov did his best but the offense could not must anything.

Jan 14th: Horcoff's hat trick and R. Wilson's 3 assist covered for a sloppy game by Nabokov to help Edmonton win 6-4 over Nashville.

Jan 16: Edmonton beat Colorado 5-2 thanks to a first star performance by Fehr (1 goal, 1 assist). Nabokov was given a chance to play 3rd straight game for the first since October.

Jan 19th: Rask's return to his net was met with a 3-1 lost to Nashville. Getzlaf scored the only goal.

Jan 20th: Edmonton drops another. The Kings beat the Oilers 5-3. Ryan had 2 goals while Rask made 33 saves.

Jan 24th: Edmonton has decided to shake things up a bit. GM Cloutier traded highly regarded prospect Jordan Eberle as well as Matt Carle to Carolina for Joni Pitkanen and prospect Jamie McBain.

Jan 26th: Fans and the board celebrated a steal as GM Cloutier confirmed a second trade. Edmonton sent the rights to Nick Ebert and a 3rd round pick to Montreal for Nathan Beaulieu and the 1st round pick. GM Cloutier sat down to discuss his trades including the reasons for sending loved prospect Eberle and his last remaining prospect from last draft.

“Our team is pretty much set on offense with great depth. On the right wing we are already youthful and we felt that there was no reason to change Ryan, Fehr, or Wheeler. Carle had played well but we felt he would have been better suited for a second pairing but we already had Smid and R. Wilson filling those spots. Pitkanen adds a legitimate threat to from our blueline. McBain is a very good prospect that adds depth to our defense. The entirety of the deal was to improve defense which has seeming been our weaker area.”

On the second trade:

“Montreal was one of the teams interested in Eberle and during our discussions we had spoken of PK Subban and Nathan Beaulieu. Subban is very talented but for a player of that talent we were really looking to reinforce our left side. After I made the decision to take the Carolina deal for Pitkanen I approached Montreal for Beaulieu. It was sad to see Ebert go, since it was the last remaining player from my first draft but we felt Beaulieu was better. When Montreal agreed to add in a first rounder and it cost us a third rounder it was a no brainer.”

Newcomers Pitkanen and McBain could not help Edmonton from dropping another game. The Canucks beat out the Oilers by a score of 3-2.

Jan 27th: Edmonton renewed with victory as they defeated St Louis in a 4-3 shootout win. Rask was solid with a 31 save game while second star Fehr had a goal and an assist.

Jan 28th: With Eberle gone Edmonton picked up Aleksandr Avtsin from the waivers. They had to return him to the waivers to send him down to the AHL.

Jan 30th: In an all together bad game, Edmonton lost to Detroit by a score of 5-3. First star Wheeler scored two goals.

[Sushamiboy]

Feb 1st: Couturier was named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Month. Beaulieu was named AHL Rookie of the Month. An absolutely horrendous game by Rask, who let in 7 goals on 25 shots. The first line combined for 8 points.

Feb 3rd: Different goaltender but similar results as Edmonton lost 4-3 against San Jose.

Feb 5th: Nugent-Hopkins was named WHL Player of the Week. Couturier was named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Week.

Feb 6th: Edmonton lost in overtime to Los Angeles by a score of 4-3. Rask played a solid game making 30 saves. In the opposite net, Quick was spectacular making 47 saves.

Feb 8th: Finally the Oilers get to defeat a foe by beating Washington 4-2. Pitkanen was first star with 2 assists and Rask made 27 saves.

Feb 12th: Couturier was named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Week. Pitkanen was named NHL Defensive Player of the Week. GM Cloutier traded Scuderi to Florida for a 3rd round pick. Scuderi had been a healthy scratch for a couple of months.

Feb 14th: Second star Rask made 26 saves for his second shutout of the season as Edmonton defeated Minnesota 3-0. Ryan was the first star with a goal and an assist.

Feb 17th: One step forward and one step back as Edmonton returns to losing. The Oilers were defeated 5-2 by Columbus.

Feb 18th: Edmonton strung back to back loses as they were defeated by Detroit 4-2. Nabokov made 30 saves.

Feb 20th: Dubinsky was the first star with 2 goals and an assist while Rask made 33 saves in a 5-1 victory over Los Angeles.

Feb 22nd: Even a strong game by the first line could not help Edmonton beat Calgary and lost 4-3.

Feb 25th: Pitkanen's first star 1 goal, 1 assist game was not enough to prevent Edmonton from losing 3-2 in the shootout.

Feb 28th: The Oilers lost 3-1 to Vancouver and fell out of a playoff berth. The team will need to find a way to start winning more regularly if they hope to make the playoffs. GM Cloutier's inactivity at the trade deadline did not go unnoticed.

[Sushamiboy]

Mar 1st: Nugent-Hopkins was named WHL Player of the Month. Couturier was named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Week. Later in the evening, Edmonton was beaten 4-3 by Colorado.

Mar 4th: Couturier was named Offensive Player of the Week. Later in the evening Minnesota handed Edmonton a 4-3 shootout loss.

Mar 6th: Edmonton won an important game beating 11th place Anaheim 3-2 to remain in 10th place. Horcoff was first star with a goal and an assist and Rask was solid with 33 saves.

Mar 8th: Wheeler and Fehr each scored 2 goals and Rask made 30 saves as Edmonton beat Toronto 5-0.

Mar 9th: Nabokov's return to Edmonton's net was met with a 3-1 loss at the hands of Boston. Dubinsky scores the Oilers only goal.

Mar 11th: Nugent-Hopkins was named WHL Player of the Week. Later Rask had an easy night saving all 16 shots he faced in a 4-0 victory over Calgary. Dubinsky had two goals. Edmonton's boards was very pleased.

Mar 13th: The roller-coaster ride continued as the Oilers dropped another game. Edmonton was beaten 4-2 by Minnesota.

Mar 15th: Edmonton continues to struggle as the were defeated 4-2 by Colorado. Cogliano and Dubinsky scored the Oiler's goals.

Mar 17th: The score could have ended even more one-sided as Edmonton defeated Vancouver 3-1 but faced a very determined Luongo. Stewart was first star with a goal and an assist.

Mar 20th: San Jose peppered Rask with 60 shots as they hammered Edmonton 6-1. McBain had the only goal for the Oilers.

Mar 22nd: Edmonton continues to baffle as it wins games against formidable foes but drops games against lesser teams. The Oilers beat first place Red Wings 5-3. R. Wilson was first star with 2 goals and an assist.

Mar 24th: Edmonton got a second win in a row as they beat Phoenix 4-3.

Mar 27th: The Oilers kept their playoff hopes alive as they increased their winning streak to three by beating Vancouver 4-3 in overtime.

Mar 29th: Even with a 45 save performance by Rask, Edmonton could not stop from losing 3-2 against Vancouver.

Mar 31st: Rask continued his strong play with a 36 save, first star game as Edmonton beat Calgary 2-1 in a shootout win. Ryan scored the Oilers' only goal.

[Sushamiboy]

Apr 1st: Nugent-Hopkins was named WHL Player of the Month. Couturier was named QMJHL Offensive Player of the Week. Rask was named NHL Defensive Player and Rookie of the Month. Owners have made a $20.5M cash infusion to keep the team from falling in receivership.

Apr 3rd: Edmonton missed a good chance as they lost 2-1 in a shootout against 8th seed Colorado. The Oilers goal came from Horcoff. Colorado was confirmed their playoff spot after the game. The Oilers are officially missing the playoffs.


Apr 5th: Crushed by the knowledge of being out of the playoffs Edmonton lost another game to Colorado, this time being shutout 3-0.

Apr 7th: The season ended with another loss as Edmonton was beaten 4-3 in a shootout loss to Detroit.

Apr 8th: The Pittsburgh Penguins were awarded the Presidents' Trophy. Edmonton fans were quick to point out that Alexander Ovechkin, who the Oilers could have gotten twice, ended the season with 130 points and will win the Art Ross and the Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophies.

Apr 9th: Edmonton Oilers player stats:

Leaders
Goals – Ryan (41) [23rd]
Assists – Ryan (43) [-]
Points – Ryan (84) [43]
Plus/Minus – Foster (16) [-]
PIM – Boulton (460) [1st]
SOG – Cogliano (265) [23rd]
HT – Primeau (319) [8th]
SB – Primeau (185) [1st]
TA – Pitkanen (58) [12th]
GAA – Rask (2.81) [21st]
SV% – Rask (.912) [5th]
AvR – Getzlaf (8.51) [31st]

Points by Line
Cogliano (78) – Getzlaf (68) – Ryan (84)
Dubinsky (51) – Horcoff (29) – Fehr (33)
Tangradi (34) – Stewart (29) – Wheeler (22)
Boulton (12) – Primeau (22) – Kaleta (16)

Omark (4)

Pitkanen (48) – Whitney (38)
Smid (20) – McBain (16)
Foster (19) – R. Wilson (30)

Eaton (6)

Rask (29w)
Nabokov (9w)

Standings
9th – 38W – 35L – 9OTL – 85PTS – 245GF – 247GA – .518W% – 14.6PP% – 84.5PK%

Apr 15th: Here is a look at the trades of the first season now that we've had a full season to evaluate. In brackets are the stats from the AHL and/ or NHL since the trade.

1) The rights to Ryan Martindale (AHL: 70GP-18G-21A-39PTS-(+22)-34PIM-6.87AvR) for Alexei Emelin (AHL: 157GP-9G-62A-71PTS-(+52)-249PIM- 7.45AvR / NHL: 2GP-0G-0A-0PTS-(-2)-2PIM-6.00AvR)

“So far this trade has been pretty one sided as Martindale will most likely be a career AHLer and Emelin has good chances of breaking the lineup within a season or two.”

2) Tom Gilbert (NHL: 164GP-18G-85A-103PTS-(-5)-85PIM-8.24AvR) for the rights to Ryan Wilson (NHL: 164GP-14G-58A-72PTS-(+15)-216PIM-7.40AvR)

“A pretty even trade overall. While Gilbert provided more offense Wilson was more responsible defensively.”

3) Ryan Jones (NHL: 134GP-18G-20A-38PTS-(-10)-156PIM-6.80AvR), Martin Marincin (WHL), and a 2nd round pick for Evgeni Nabokov (NHL: 91GP-48W-34L-3T-5132MINS-233GA-2.72GAA-0.909SV%-8.24AvR), Darcy Hordichuk (NHL: 115GP-4G-9A-13PTS-(-5)-494PIM-6.48AvR), and Nino Niederreiter (WHL)

“This one was an easy trade to make. Nabokov was the difference-maker in the first season as he help us get into the playoffs. Even though he did not fare as well in his second season he was still useful. Hordichuk was not the best player and needed to be replaced. Niederreiter is a very promising prospect. Marincin and the second round pick in a very shallow draft will most likely amount to nothing and Jones is about at the talent level of Hordichuk.”

4) Nikolai Khabibulin (NHL: 98GP-34W-49A-10T-5607MINS-292GA-3.12GAA-0.903SV%) , the rights to Theo Peckham (AHL: 48GP-1G-4A-5PTS-(+8)-93PIM-6.90AvR), rights to David Musil (WHL), 2nd round pick, and 3rd round pick for Clarke MacArthur (NHL: 99GP: 23G-25A-48PTS-(+22)-119PIM-6.93AvR) and Mikhail Grabovski (25GP-10G-9A-19PTS-(+5)-10PIM-7.24AvR)

“With Nabokov in nets Khabibulin became a write-off. Peckham will maybe fight for a spot as a 7th dman in the future. Musil is the real piece that profits Toronto. MacArthur did not really pan out and just continually fell on the depth chart. Grabovski played well and later in the season became an important part of a trade with Anaheim.”

5) The rights to Aleksandr Bumagin (Rus-2) for Greg Moore (AHL: 138GP-40G-63A-103PTS-(+3)-103PIM-7.42AvR)

“It's doubtful that Bumagin will ever cross the Atlantic to come play in North America. Moore will soon compete with Wheeler and Kaleta for a spot in the lineup, probably as early as this upcoming season.”

6) Curtis Hamilton (WHL and ECHL) and Ryan O'Marra (97GP-7G-19A-26PTS-(-8)-44PIM-6.56AvR) for Anthony Stewart (142GP-24G-34A-58PTS-(+29)-377PIM-7.46AvR)

“This trade was a definite win for us as Stewart has become a mainstay as our third line center. He forms a great pair with Wheeler. O'Marra never really seemed to get out the gate for Washington. Hamilton was a throw-in.”

7) Gilbert Brule (AHL: 30GP-19G-16A-35PTS-(+3)-36PIM-7.83AvR / NHL: 89GP-9G-16A-25PTS-(-24)-80PIM-6.55AvR), Taylor Chorney (AHL: 134GP-12G-46A-58PTS-(+12)-135PIM-6.92AvR), rights to Oscar Klefbom (AHL: 78GP-4G-17A-21PTS-(+5)-76PIM-6.86AvR), and a 2nd round pick for Eric Fehr (NHL: 101GP-36G-47A-83PTS-(+28)-131PIM-7.79AvR)

“Even with the injury filled slow season he just had, Fehr remains a solid 2nd line winger that we acquired for a career AHLer, a 3rd or 4th line guy, a 3rd pairing dman, and a pick. Overall we got what we wanted for spare parts, just a lot of them.”

8) Mikhail Grabovski (NHL: 108GP-38G-42A-80PTS-(-7)-80PIM-7.33AvR), Ales Hemsky (67GP-16G-32A-48PTS-(-13)-42PIM-7.22AvR), and Magnus Paajarvi (AHL: 43GP-32G-20A-52PTS-(+16)-16PIM-7.63AvR / NHL: 73GP-26G-43A-69PTS-(+6)-32PIM-7.74AvR) for Ryan Getzlaf (113GP-38G-63A-101PTS-(+18)-209PIM-8.53AvR) and Bobby Ryan (119GP-54G-64A-118PTS-(+18)-77PIM-8.24AvR)

“Arguably we gave up a lot but we acquired the two best players currently on our roster. Grabovski was filling time on our third line and played on the second powerplay unit. Hemsky was our best forward for points at the time. Paajarvi had immense upside but was struggling in the AHL. Grabovski found a good place in Anaheim to have more ice time while Paajarvi has a good chance of being named rookie of the year. Ryan has been our best player point wise since his arrival while Getzlaf has been a leader and most consistent effort wise. All in all it's a trade that benefited both teams.”

9) Patrick Lalime (retired during the summer) for a 6th round pick.

“Lalime had been very inefficient as a backup and we felt we would be better to look elsewhere.”

5th round pick for the rights to Denis Kulyash (RSL)

“Kulyash has yet to play a game but we have high hopes as he will join us this summer.”

Apr 22: T. Hall was named AHL Player of the Week.

Apr 30th: With Nabokov likely to go to free agency, Edmonton signed Mathieu Garon to a two-year deal at $950 000 per season.

[Sushamiboy]

May 5th: Omark was named AHL Player of the Week.

May 20th: Team Canada won the World Championship. Couturier won the QMJHL Offensive Player of the Year, Jean Beliveau Trophy, Michel Briere, and Star Player Award. Nugent-Hopkins won the WHL Star Player Award, Four Broncos Memorial Trophy, and Bob Clark Trophy.

[Sushamiboy]

Jun 1st: Montoya was named AHL Player of the Month.

Jun 7th: Four signings were confirmed today. Alexei Mikhnov was signed at $1 070 000 a year for two seasons. Sami Lepisto also signed for 2 years at $984 000 per season. Zhukov signed for one season at $541 000. Kulyash also joined Edmonton signing a 2 year deal at $975 000 per.

Jun 8th: The Buffalo Sabres won the Stanley Cup.

Jun 9th: Colin Jacobs and Shane McColgan both signed entry level deals with the Oilers. Edmonton also sent Kurtis Foster to Tampa Bay for a 2nd round pick.

Jun 10th: Jonathan Hubereau was signed by Edmonton to an entry level deal.

Jun 13th: Rask came in 3rd in Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award voting. Rask was also voted to the NHL Rookie All-Star Team.

Jun 21st: Draft day started with another roster clearing move as Edmonton traded Mark Eaton to Carolina for a 4th round pick. Edmonton sent a 2nd round pick, a 2nd round pick, and a 4th round pick to Carolina for a 1st round pick.

Draft
12th – Pascal Matte – LW – Skilled Forward, 1st Line Potential
18th – Simon Desbiens – LW – Two-way Forward, 3rd Line Potential
55th – Linus Froberg – C/RW – Skilled Forward, 4th Line Potential
85th – Niklas Treutle – G – Backup Goaltender, Hybrid Style
102nd – Sean Girard – RD – Defensive Defenseman, no 7 Potential
132nd – Spenser Morse – RD – Mobile Defenseman, no 7 Potential
162nd – Carl Chenier – RW – Skilled Forward, Third Line Potential
192nd – Jaroslav Pavelka – G – Unscouted
205th – Cory Genovese – LD – Skilled Defensive Defenseman, no 7 Potential

Jun 26th: Reddox re-upped for one season at $495 000. T. Hall won the Red Garret Memorial Trophy, the AHL Leading Scorer Award, and the Willie Marshall Award. Omark was also rewarded as he won the John B. Sollenberger Trophy and the AHL Best Forward Award. Montoya, who will battle Garon for the backup role, won the Harry 'Hap' Holmes Memorial Award.

Jun 27th: Gauthier-Leduc was signed by Edmonton to an entry level deal.

Jun 29th: Bobby Ryan was voted the Edomonton Oilers Player of the Year by fans.

[Sushamiboy]

Jul 6th: Restricted free agent Anthony Stewart resigns with Edmonton. The deal is a 3 year deal at $775 000 per season.

Jul 7th: The Oilers avoided arbitration by resigning the restricted free agent Ladislav Smid for $1 360 000 each season of a 3 year deal.

Jul 8th: Travis Ewanyk was signed by Edmonton to an entry level deal.

Jul 10th: GM Cloutier announced 2 signings today. Free agents Tyler Seguin signed for 2 season at $950 000 per and Adam Lowry signed an entry level deal.

Jul 31st: It was a very uneventful free agent month in Edmonton as GM Cloutier failed to lure in quality talent the likes of Iginla or Grebeshkov. The team as it stands is very much the same as last year. Barring a substantial trade, the Oilers will need to hope for their young talent to have matured greatly over the summer. Roster questions currently include the status of Horcoff, Dubinsky, and if T. Hall is ready.

[Sushamiboy]

Aug 1st: The board has announced publicly that it is extremely unhappy with GM Cloutier's performance as a whole. Something will have to happen to improve the team for their confidence to be rebuilt.

Aug 11th: GM Cloutier does another move that just angers them and mentioned that he would be out if Edmonton failed to make the playoffs again. In a desperate move the Oilers have shipped out the rights to Simon Desbiens, Brandon Dubinsky, a 2nd round pick, and another 2nd round pick to the Capitals for Alexander Semin.

Aug 18th: Several teams inquired about Nugent-Hopkins with negotiations involving several key players but in the end Edmonton decided to keep its future star.

[Sushamiboy]

Sept 10th: Edmonton signed free agent Aaron Ekblad to an entry level deal.

Sept 13th: Edmonton's training camp begins with 63 players in attendance. There are 14 tryout players.

Sept 15th: In the first exhibition game of the pre-season, Edmonton's rookies gave hope in a way they had not in the previous two camps. Fueled by the stellar performance of it's two first lines and the 27 save performance of Treutle, the Oilers won 5-2.

Sept 16th: Pavelka struggled in his pre-season debut allowing 4 goals on 22 shots in an Edmonton 5-4 victory. The first two lines continued their domination.

Sept 17th: Matt Mackenzie signed an entry level deal. The young defenseman had 3 assists in 2 pre-season games. In other news, Oilers scouts were pleased to give their assessment on 17 year old Aaron Ekblad signed to an entry level deal earlier in the month. Rare is such a young player available, especially that the scouts view him as a 1-2 potential.

Sept 20th: Hoping to give Pavelka another chance turned out bad as Edmonton lost 9-1 against the Blackhawks.

Sept 23rd: Dressing almost their expected roster, T. Hall being injured, Edmonton lost to Colorado by the score of 5-3.

Sept 25th: In their last exhibition game, Edmonton played extremely well winning by a score of 6-1 over St Louis. Horcoff proved his worth having two goals and two assists.

Sept 30th: Website thehockeynews.com posted their top ten by position and top ten prospects today. Representing the Oilers are Semin (4-LW), Getzlaf (7-C), Ryan (10-RW), Hall (1-Prospect), Nugent-Hopkins (2-Prospect), and Couturier (3-Prospect).