05/31/12 Ladislav Smid: A Development Tale

Before the 2011-12 season, Ladislav Smid was a second-pairing defenseman at best, and at 331 games played it looked like that was all he'd ever be. There was talk of him being traded at the 2011 deadline. Then, suddenly, the lightbulb came on and now he's a major part of the future. This is a look at how Smid got here.

05/29/12 Dear Free Agents: Edmonton Is Awesome

It's nearly time for the silly season of free agency again, when NHL general managers will open their owners' wallets and spread money around like confetti. Inevitably, free agents will receive and reject offers from the Oilers. This message is to them, and to people who feel down on the City of Edmonton because some players don't sign here.

05/28/12 Swapping Picks

Back in 2002, the Florida Panthers traded down from number one to number three and got the defenseman they wanted in Jay Bouwmeester. In exchange, they received the option to swap first round picks with Columbus in 2003. Could the Oilers do something similar?

05/27/12 Can Jordan Eberle Repeat His Performance?

Jordan Eberle had the best season of any Oilers player in a long time. He's certainly got the skill, but can he continue to be as good as he was in 2011-12?

05/25/12 Top UFAs By Category

Jason Garrison here is leading all UFA defensemen in one very important category: goals. With 16, he's well ahead of the rest of the pack. After the jump, a list of some other UFAs who are leading in other categories.

05/25/12 Hemsky's Age and Drafting Yakupov

With Eberle and Hemsky in the fold, everything looks peachy-keen at right wing for the Oilers. Hemsky has been around so long it's easy to take him for granted and hard to remember that he was drafted eleven long years and several surguries ago.

05/23/12 Khabibulin Is Above Average For His Age

The problem? Above average for a 36 to 39 year old still isn't good enough to compete in today's NHL.