04/05/13 Shea Weber: What Would It Take?

The limitation that prevents the Nashville Predators from trading Shea Weber ends on July 19th. It seems completely crazy to trade one of the league's top defenseman, but stranger things have happened under lower pressure circumstances.

03/25/13 The Mess On Defense

The trade deadline is looming and it appears that Ryan Whitney could be headed out the door. In his place the Oilers are attempting to add collegiate UFA Danny DeKeyser. Unless something else happens between now and next season, the defense will still be a mess.

10/03/12 Smid's New Contract

The 2011-12 NHL season saw Ladislav Smid come to the forefront on the Oilers' defense. He led the team in total ice time, played the toughest minutes, finished a plus-4, and even chipped in 5-10-15 in 78 games. He's going to need a raise.

11/01/12 Cap Crunch 2013-14

The Edmonton Oilers are currently projected to have more than $21 million in cap space for 2013-14. But that's based on a $70.2 million cap. If the cap drops to $60 million or so in the new CBA, there will be trouble in E-Town.

07/16/12 Theo Peckham Vs. Ladislav Smid

Theo Peckham accepted his qualifying offer on Monday, and has been a bit of an afterthought for the Oilers. He showed potential in 2010-11, and one of his teammates should give him hope for returning to form.

07/15/12 Oh, How The Depth Chart Has Changed

A lot has changed since the 2008-09 season. It's hard to get a grasp on all the players that have come and gone without looking back at the depth chart and seeing how it has transformed. In 2012-13 the Oilers will do battle with a group that is in many ways superior to the class of 2008-09.

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.

05/21/12 Developing Defense and the Oilers

It's pretty clear that the biggest weakness with the Oilers is the defense, and the prevailing belief is that their prospects are too far away to impact the rebuild in the near future. But that stance could be overlooking some obvious home-grown talents on the back end.