Theo Peckham and the Edmonton Oilers

To be completely fair, Theo Peckham has no one to blame but himself for the situation he currently finds himself in. Once the NHL and NHLPA decided to finally come to their senses and put an end to what was ultimately a pointless lockout, Peckham showed up to the Oilers abbreviated training camp overweight and out of shape. Simply unacceptable for any player in today's NHL...unless your first name is Dustin and your surname is either Byfuglien or Penner. 

Upgrading Oilers D will be priority number one for MacT

A couple of days back, this very space focused on some of the possible options General Manager Craig MacTavish might have at his disposal, in looking towards improving the mix within the Edmonton Oilers forward group. While some feel that there are few legitimate targets among the so-called available forward group, the possible targets on defencemen  are far fewer in number.

Game 31: Nashville 3 Edmonton 2

In what was very much a do or die situation for the Edmonton Oilers in Nashville on Monday night, they managed to score the opening goal for the tenth time in their last fourteen outings but showed next over the opening forty minutes of action. Not surprisingly, their lack urgency  cost them yet another two points, in falling 3-2 to the Predators in a key Western Conference battle.

Oilers need to grab a pair and take care of their star players

Watching Chicago Blackhawks pest Dan Carcillo run the the Edmonton Oilers show on Monday night should have been the final straw. Taylor Hall had reached his boiling point last Thursday against the Minnesota Wild and Cal Clutterbuck. At what point is someone outside of their best player, going to stand up to the likes of Carcillo, for taking runs at their best players?

Game 9: Vancouver 3 Edmonton 2 (OT)

It was a night in which the Vancouver Canucks badly outplayed the Edmonton Oilers over the final forty minutes of action but it was still a game the Oilers let slip away. Defenceman Christopher Tanev picked a helluva time to score his first career NHL goal, beating Devan Dubnyk in the dying seconds of overtime and leading the Canucks to a come from behind 2-1 victory over their Northwest Division rivals.

Oilers Whitney continues to struggle to find his game

To be fair, Edmonton Oilers defenceman Ryan Whitney is in an almost no-win situation. The veteran blueliner has not only been robbed of much, if not all, of his mobility due to continual ankle problems but also had the misfortune of giving Oilers fans a glimpse of the player he could have been. Unfortunately for everyone involved...he will never be that player again.

Game 7: San Jose 3 Edmonton 2 (SO)

Funny what a difference twenty-four hours and an opponent willing to play the game can make. After sitting through what was easily the dullest game of the year on Wednesday night in Phoenix, the Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks managed to treat hockey fans to one helluva tilt.

Oil Notes - Hartikainen to get first crack on top power play unit and 2013 NHL Predictions

With the start of the Edmonton Oilers 2013 schedule only hours away, it looks as though Teemu Hartikainen will be handed the opportunity to prove his worth right off the bat. While the feisty Finn was slotted to see regular duty on the Oilers third line with Shawn Horcoff and Ryan Smyth, it is on the man advantage where he should be most effective.

Oil Notes: Oilers acquire Fistric from Dallas and debut Yakupov on left wing

The Edmonton Oilers first day of practice had few surprises but did feature the anticipated debut of  Nail Yakupov at left wing, playing alongside Sam Gagner and Ales Hemsky. Whereas off the ice, General Manager Steve Tambellini was able to make a bit of a splash on the trade market, acquiring rugged blueliner Mark Fistric from the Dallas Stars, in exchange for Edmonton's third round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.