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RE 09-10: Jason Strudwick
The role of 7th defenseman in the NHL is similar to third catcher in major league baseball. The Expos had a beauty 30+ years ago named Jose Morales who set a pinch-hitting record while not catching,...
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RE 09-10: The Blue
The Oilers current blue is very, very good. It’s the best group of 7 since the Stanley run and remember a bunch of those guys were acquired late in the 2006 season. The Oilers lack a “complete” player...
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RE 09-10: Nikolai Khabibulin
Opinions vary widely when it comes to the Edmonton Oilers signing of Nikolai Khabibulin. Some see it as a horrible contract that the Oilers will never be able to move should the goalie’s performance...
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RE 09-10: Jeff Deslauriers
In Ken Dryden’s whimsical, engaging and hilarious book “The Game” he talks about the life of a pro hockey player and gives it a phrase: hurry up and wait. Hurry up after the game, because there’s a...
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RE 09-10: Devan Dubnyk
For several seasons now (really since the 2004 entry draft) the Oilers goalie prospects have had a specific pecking order: JDD, DD and then everyone else. Guy Flaming mentioned to me once that MacT...
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RE 09-10: The G
The Edmonton Oilers have zero “goalies in their prime” and their starter has some injury concerns. The two possible backups are unproven and in one case have no NHL experience at all. I should mention...
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Reasonable Expectations Review: 09-10 Goalies
The Edmonton Oilers believe in Jeff Deslauriers. How do we know? This season has been devoted (after the Khabibulin injury) to seeing if they can count on him as a #1 goalie into the future. His...
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Reasonable Expectations Review: The Blue, 09-10
In spite of a devastating season, the Edmonton Oilers have a world class blue. Led by the sublime talent of Lubomir Visnovsky Edmonton’s defense remains a quality unit despite inconsistent play and...
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Reasonable Expectations Review: Forwards 09-10
I’m tempted to suggest that the Oilers are an experiment gone terribly wrong at forward, but that would imply planning and a template. The fact is that the Edmonton Oilers appear to have gathered a...
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IF I HAD A HAMMER
How does Nail Yakupov compare to Taylor Hall? Did he pump his numbers with PP? Did he play on a superior team? Will his rookie season look like Hall’s? Taylor Hall EV 57, 22-33-55 (.965) Nail Yakupov...
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