Oilers won't lose any sleep over the departure of Toni Rajala

At first glance, the Edmonton Oilers decision to place forward Toni Rajala on unconditional waivers looked to be a rather perplexing one. For an organization that is supposedly starving for high end skill at the AHL level, allowing the most skilled player on the Oklahoma City Barons roster to simply walk away for nothing, seems to make little to no sense.

2013-14 Preview: No reason for Smyth not to see regular PP duty

Barring some sort of turning back of the clock, Ryan Smyth is headed for his final days as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. After suffering through what was easily the worst 90 or so game stretch of his career, it appears as though Father Time has finally caught up with the veteran winger. That being said, with the Oilers lack of depth on their bottom two lines and special teams, Smyth should be given the opportunity to show if he can still contribute on the power play in 2013-14.

2013-14 Preview: Yakupov should push the 30 goal mark in sophomore campaign

 

Nail Yakupov certainly had his share of ups and down during his rookie season but the Edmonton Oilers youngster appears to be the real deal. While he still has a lot to learn about being an everyday NHL player, expecting the talented Russian winger to produce a 30 goal / 50 point campaign in the coming 2013-14 season is more than reasonable.