Possible trades and UFA market are the best options for the Oilers to upgrade D

With the Edmonton Oilers now sitting with the first overall selection in this year's entry draft in their pocket, many hockey observers are already going on about how there is no way the Oilers should take Russian Nail Yakupov with the top pick. Yes the Oilers badly need an upgrade on their backend but who is to say they can't get that done via trade or the unrestricted free agent market, while still drafting the consensus top pick? Edmonton is at the stage where they have both the assets to help shore up their blueline via trade and the money necessary to jump into the free agent market, if they so choose.

Oilers win Lottery and will score big with addition of Yakupov

With captain Shawn Horcoff currently wearing the number 10 on the Edmonton Oilers, fans will likely have to wait a few years before seeing Nail Yakupov wearing his junior number in Oiler silks. That being said, I am sure the highly skilled Russian winger will do just fine with whatever number he decides to put under his name bar...especially playing alongside three of the games best young players in Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers beat the odds Tuesday night, in winning the 2012 NHL Draft Lottery and now sit with the first overall selection for a third straight year.

Report Cards - Forwards...Eberle and RNH Lead The Way

With the Edmonton Oilers loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night, it brought to an end another season of disappointment in Oil Country. While there were many positives on individual fronts, as a team the 2011-2012 campaign would have to be deemed as a failure. With the season now completed, the time has come to look back and give out my year end report cards. Each player's rating is based on their performance from opening night and takes into consideration the role in which every player was expected to play, heading into the season. While yesterday the focus was on Edmonton's goaltenders and defence, today the focus shifts over to the forward group.

Report Cards - Goaltenders and Defencemen

With the Edmonton Oilers loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night, it brought to an end another season of disappointment in Oil Country. While there were many positives on individual fronts, as a team the 2011-2012 campaign would have to be deemed as a failure. With the season now completed, the time has come to look back and give out my year end report cards. Each player's rating is based on their performance from opening night and takes into consideration the role in which every player was expected to play, heading into the season. Today the focus is on Edmonton's goaltenders and defencemen, while tomorrow I'll examine the forward group.

Game 82: Vancouver 3 Edmonton 0

While Devan Dubnyk did all he could to ensure the Edmonton Oilers would finish their season on a winning note, the Vancouver Canucks had other ideas. Despite the best efforts of their starting netminder, Edmonton could do little to slow down a Canucks side that clinched the President's Trophy as the league's top team, with a 2-1 victory over their Northwest rivals. David Booth led the way with a goal and eleven shots on net, while Roberto Luongo earned his his fifth shutout of the season, making seventeen saves.