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Big T · 10-25-2015, 11:52 AM

2016-17 NHL Season Preview

With the National Hockey League about to get underway, the early Stanley Cup favorites appear to be St Louis, led by winger Vladimir Tarasenko. GM Doug Armstrong has built a squad that will be the team to beat this year, but can expect challenges from Brian MacLellan's Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh, featuring Sidney Crosby.

Amoung the darkhorses, Nashville stands out as a possible challanger, with a big season by Filip Forsberg capable of pushing them into contender status.

The scoring race will likely see Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby challenged by Alex Ovechkin of Washington and the Islanders John Tavares.

The top defenseman in the league is generally considered to be Senators blueliner Erik Karlsson with Montreal's PK Subban and Dougie Hamilton of Calgary also in the running.

Finally amoung the goaltenders, Montreal's Carey Price stands out as the leagues best, while Boston's Tuuka Rask and Sergei Bobrovsky of Columbus can also steal games for thier teams.

Meet the 2016-17 Edmonton Oilers......

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Name: Edmonton Oilers.gif
Views: 279
Size: 4.2 KB

G Micheal Hutchinson, the 26 year old was acquired in a trade from the Winnipeg Jets last season for G Cam Talbot. Hutchinson was incredible for the Oilers down the stretch going 24-14-5 with a 2.03 GAA and .932 SV% after the trade.

G Ben Scrivens, the 30 year old Scrivens is going to back up Hutchinson again this season. He had a 3.31 GAA in 20 games last season for the Oilers.

D Andrew Ference, the 37 year old is on his last year of his deal with the Oilers. The veteran continues to wear the "C" for the young Oilers and played over 19 minutes a game last year and was a +14 with 60 PIMs.

D Oscar Klefbom, the 23 year old was often a scratch last year and will likely fight for ice time with rookie Griffin Reinhart. Klefbom has a long term contract that expires in 2023 and the Oilers need to seem him develop into a regular on the blue line.

D Darnell Nurse, the 21 year old Nurse showed he was ready for the big time after being called up after Christmas last season. A big 2-way defenseman that doesnt mind dropping the mitts played over 21 minutes a game last season.

D Griffin Reinhart, the 22 year old has a total of 9 NHL games under his belt, but showed well in 4 preseason games this exhibition season. Another tall 6'4" dman, but doesnt really play a physical game. It will be interesting to see how his season progressess.

D Mark Fayne, the 29 year old has nearly 400 NHL games under his belt and was a regular for the Oilers last season playing in 81 games. A defensive defenseman that chipped in with a career high 5 goals last year.

D Justin Schultz, the 26 year old has established himself as elite offensive defenseman, finishing 5th amoung NHL defenseman in points last season. Schultz chewed up over 24 minutes of icetime a game last season.

D Andrej Sekera, the 30 year old is signed until 2021 and for the most part is playing on the 3rd pairing for the Oilers. Sekera does not have a physical game, but is a reasonable defender. He played in 78 games last season.

F Taylor Hall, the 24 year old combined with McDavid and Eberle to form a pretty decent 1st line for the Oilers. After playing in only 53 games for the Oilers in 14-15, he was able to play in all 82 last year having a 63 point season.

F Quinton Howden, the 24 year old was just acquired on waivers from the Florida Panthers and can add some depth for the 3rd and 4th lines. Howden is a defensive forward that should help the Oilers this season.

F Alex Killorn, the 27 year old was signed as a free agent this off-season. Primarily signed for his defensive game although he has chipped in with 41 points for the Lightning in 13-14. Killorn can expect to play on the 2nd and 3rd lines as a regular this season.

F Lauri Korpikoski, the 30 year old is coming off a Frank J Selke Trophy winning season. A checking forward who is strong in the faceoff circle will be a 3rd line forward. He also had 15 goals last year.

F Benoit Pouliot, the 30 year old is coming off a career high 25 goal season. An offensive forward that can be used in a checking role because of his good defensive reads and positioning. He expects to be a regular on the 2nd line.

F Leon Draisaitl, the 20 year old Draisaitl played in 78 games as a regular for the Oilers last season. Primarily a offensive styled player, he had 8 goals and 38 points while averaging 15 minutes a game.

F Anton Lander, the 25 year old played mostly 4th line minutes and had 3 goals and 14 points in 53 games. The Swede is a good puck handler and passer who reads the play well.

F Connor McDavid, the 19 year old Rookie of the Year last season had 22 goals and 74 points, leading the Oilers in points. He is a strong agile forward that should lead the Oilers again this season even at his tender age.

F Bogdan Yakimov, the 22 year old was called up 3 times last season playing in a total of 9 games. Although limited minutes, he did get a goal and 2 assists and was a +1 rating. Yakimov goes to the front of the net and uses his 6'5" frame to give the goalies headaches.

F Jordan Eberle, the 26 year old had 27 goals alongside Hall and McDavid last year. Eberle is definitely a leader on this team who is counted on to provide a spark offensively.

F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the 23 year old missed some games last year and had a drop off in his offense, scoring 14 goals, his lowest total since the strike shortened season in 2012/13. A great puck handler and passer who reads the play very well.

F Iiro Pakarinen, the 25 year old was up and down for most of last year playing 37 games for the Oilers. He had 5 goals and 9 points but was a -12 which must improve for him to stay in the lineup on a regular basis.

F Tyler Pitlick, the 24 year old was called up in February last year and dressed for 19 games. He only had 1 assist while with the Oilers but he is a fairly responsible defensively and can be expected to play on the 4th line and maybe some 3rd line minutes.

F Nail Yakupov, the 23 year old had 33 points in 73 games last year, but what the Oilers really liked is that he went from two back to back seasons of being in the -30's to a very responsible +6 rating.

10-25-2015, 11:52 AM	#71
Big T Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 3,878	2016-17 NHL Season Preview With the National Hockey League about to get underway, the early Stanley Cup favorites appear to be St Louis, led by winger Vladimir Tarasenko. GM Doug Armstrong has built a squad that will be the team to beat this year, but can expect challenges from Brian MacLellan's Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh, featuring Sidney Crosby. Amoung the darkhorses, Nashville stands out as a possible challanger, with a big season by Filip Forsberg capable of pushing them into contender status. The scoring race will likely see Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby challenged by Alex Ovechkin of Washington and the Islanders John Tavares. The top defenseman in the league is generally considered to be Senators blueliner Erik Karlsson with Montreal's PK Subban and Dougie Hamilton of Calgary also in the running. Finally amoung the goaltenders, Montreal's Carey Price stands out as the leagues best, while Boston's Tuuka Rask and Sergei Bobrovsky of Columbus can also steal games for thier teams. Meet the 2016-17 Edmonton Oilers...... G Micheal Hutchinson, the 26 year old was acquired in a trade from the Winnipeg Jets last season for G Cam Talbot. Hutchinson was incredible for the Oilers down the stretch going 24-14-5 with a 2.03 GAA and .932 SV% after the trade. G Ben Scrivens, the 30 year old Scrivens is going to back up Hutchinson again this season. He had a 3.31 GAA in 20 games last season for the Oilers. D Andrew Ference, the 37 year old is on his last year of his deal with the Oilers. The veteran continues to wear the "C" for the young Oilers and played over 19 minutes a game last year and was a +14 with 60 PIMs. D Oscar Klefbom, the 23 year old was often a scratch last year and will likely fight for ice time with rookie Griffin Reinhart. Klefbom has a long term contract that expires in 2023 and the Oilers need to seem him develop into a regular on the blue line. D Darnell Nurse, the 21 year old Nurse showed he was ready for the big time after being called up after Christmas last season. A big 2-way defenseman that doesnt mind dropping the mitts played over 21 minutes a game last season. D Griffin Reinhart, the 22 year old has a total of 9 NHL games under his belt, but showed well in 4 preseason games this exhibition season. Another tall 6'4" dman, but doesnt really play a physical game. It will be interesting to see how his season progressess. D Mark Fayne, the 29 year old has nearly 400 NHL games under his belt and was a regular for the Oilers last season playing in 81 games. A defensive defenseman that chipped in with a career high 5 goals last year. D Justin Schultz, the 26 year old has established himself as elite offensive defenseman, finishing 5th amoung NHL defenseman in points last season. Schultz chewed up over 24 minutes of icetime a game last season. D Andrej Sekera, the 30 year old is signed until 2021 and for the most part is playing on the 3rd pairing for the Oilers. Sekera does not have a physical game, but is a reasonable defender. He played in 78 games last season. F Taylor Hall, the 24 year old combined with McDavid and Eberle to form a pretty decent 1st line for the Oilers. After playing in only 53 games for the Oilers in 14-15, he was able to play in all 82 last year having a 63 point season. F Quinton Howden, the 24 year old was just acquired on waivers from the Florida Panthers and can add some depth for the 3rd and 4th lines. Howden is a defensive forward that should help the Oilers this season. F Alex Killorn, the 27 year old was signed as a free agent this off-season. Primarily signed for his defensive game although he has chipped in with 41 points for the Lightning in 13-14. Killorn can expect to play on the 2nd and 3rd lines as a regular this season. F Lauri Korpikoski, the 30 year old is coming off a Frank J Selke Trophy winning season. A checking forward who is strong in the faceoff circle will be a 3rd line forward. He also had 15 goals last year. F Benoit Pouliot, the 30 year old is coming off a career high 25 goal season. An offensive forward that can be used in a checking role because of his good defensive reads and positioning. He expects to be a regular on the 2nd line. F Leon Draisaitl, the 20 year old Draisaitl played in 78 games as a regular for the Oilers last season. Primarily a offensive styled player, he had 8 goals and 38 points while averaging 15 minutes a game. F Anton Lander, the 25 year old played mostly 4th line minutes and had 3 goals and 14 points in 53 games. The Swede is a good puck handler and passer who reads the play well. F Connor McDavid, the 19 year old Rookie of the Year last season had 22 goals and 74 points, leading the Oilers in points. He is a strong agile forward that should lead the Oilers again this season even at his tender age. F Bogdan Yakimov, the 22 year old was called up 3 times last season playing in a total of 9 games. Although limited minutes, he did get a goal and 2 assists and was a +1 rating. Yakimov goes to the front of the net and uses his 6'5" frame to give the goalies headaches. F Jordan Eberle, the 26 year old had 27 goals alongside Hall and McDavid last year. Eberle is definitely a leader on this team who is counted on to provide a spark offensively. F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the 23 year old missed some games last year and had a drop off in his offense, scoring 14 goals, his lowest total since the strike shortened season in 2012/13. A great puck handler and passer who reads the play very well. F Iiro Pakarinen, the 25 year old was up and down for most of last year playing 37 games for the Oilers. He had 5 goals and 9 points but was a -12 which must improve for him to stay in the lineup on a regular basis. F Tyler Pitlick, the 24 year old was called up in February last year and dressed for 19 games. He only had 1 assist while with the Oilers but he is a fairly responsible defensively and can be expected to play on the 4th line and maybe some 3rd line minutes. F Nail Yakupov, the 23 year old had 33 points in 73 games last year, but what the Oilers really liked is that he went from two back to back seasons of being in the -30's to a very responsible +6 rating.