09/01/12 Oilers Versus: Calgary Flames

The Oilers and Flames faced off six times in 2011-12. How did the Oilers fare against their provincial rivals?

08/30/12 Top Heavy: New Contracts for the Big Four

Jordan Eberle's new contract shows that a standard has indeed been set for the Oilers' big four forwards. What could things look like if the Oilers spend $24 million on four players up front?

08/25/12 Point Production By Age and the Implications For Edmonton

At what age do players peak in the NHL? At what age do they begin to decline? These are questions that will be important to the Oilers in years to come. Though at the moment there's nowhere to go but up, eventually the window will close. How much time do the Oilers have?

08/25/12 The Oilers and One Goal Games

How long has it been since we first started hearing about the Oilers' need to improve in one goal games? Before they started finishing 30th like it was going out of style (it is). So, has there been improvement?

08/23/12 Oilers Players and 80-90 Points

Nail Yakupov is one of a quartet of players who could score 80, 90 or even more points as an Oiler. It's not an easy thing to do, but do the kids have the right stuff? Where exactly should we expect their production to peak?

08/23/12 What Will Hall Be Worth In Five Years?

Now that Taylor Hall has officially signed a deal that will make him an Oiler for a decade (combined with his ELC), it's time to do what we do best 'round these parts: break down the details.

08/21/12 The 100 Point Plateau

Between Hall, Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins and Yakupov, the Oilers should have four players capable of scoring 100 points each season. Right?

08/16/12 Khabibulin vs. the Defense

Conventional wisdom has it that the Oilers' defense is terrible, and still not good enough for the team to make the playoffs. That's at least partially true. But how much of the defensive weakness of the team can be laid at Nikolai Khabibulin's door? Could more starts from Dubnyk be as good as adding a quality defenseman?

08/15/12 Can The Oilers Make The Playoffs? Part Two

Part one of this series established that the Oilers will need to be better at even strength. Now we'll look at the likelihood of that actually happening. Who needs to be better 5x5? Is it realistic to expect improvement?

08/13/12 Can The Oilers Make The Playoffs? Part One

A lot has changed since the last time the Oilers made the playoffs. Joe Thornton and Jaromir Jagr were at the top of the league in points. Jonathan Cheechoo scored 56 goals. Things have changed in Edmonton as well. Is the team good enough to make it to the dance?

08/08/12 Dropping Out of the Top Eight

If teams like the Oilers are ever going to make the playoffs, at least one team (and quite probably more) will need to miss. So what teams in the Western Conference are likely to fall from the lofty heights of the top eight?

08/05/12 Falling: Ryan Smyth

The mullet is no longer as fearsome as it once was. Ryan Smyth still has gas left in the tank, but his career is nearing its conclusion. After signing a new two year deal to stay in Edmonton, Smyth will have to hope that the Oilers can improve in a hurry if he is to have a chance to add a Stanley Cup to his list of achievements.

08/04/12 The Truth About Shots On Goal

Evgeni Malkin led the NHL in shots for the 2011-12 season with 339 in total (4.52 per game). It turns out that getting a simple shot on goal is a very hard thing to do, and to expect even three per game from a player is a lofty goal. Here's why.

08/01/12 Rising: Ales Hemsky

Ales Hemsky's 2011-12 was so bad that it's hard to imagine that next season could be any worse. But there's also some actual evidence to suggest that we'll see a better Hemsky in 2012-13. Let's have a look-see.