Fourteen games into the Oilers season, and it's already been memorable. There's something strange in the air. I haven't been able to put my finger on it until a few minutes ago. From Game 1, there's been a different feeling this season. It's hard to explain. Statistically-speaking, this team is wildly inconsistent. It seems like they always get down a goal and are required to battle back. The goaltending is there, and then it isn't. The defense is there, and then it isn't. Heck, even the offense is there, and then it isn't. Whenever the Oilers play, you're never quite sure which version of this team is going to show up.
Still, there's something about this team this season...
I figured out what it is. You people are going to laugh. You're going to say, "there goes Clouts being a homer again." Nope, this isn't homerism talking. Perhaps insanity, but not homerism.
This Oilers team, this season, is going to win the Stanley Cup.
Yep. One cup, coming up. Write it down. It's happening. Plan the parade route.
I'm not being in the slightest way sarcastic. I'm not making fun of this fan base with this. I'm deadly serious. The Oilers are going to win the cup in a few months.
Why? How? Really?
Let's start with the why. In the Western Conference, who can match the Oilers Top 6 of Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Ales Hemsky, Sam Gagner and Nail Yakupov? Chicago is pretty close (Toews, Sharp, Hossa, Kane, Bolland, and some other guy). Vancouver has three great forwards in Sedin x 2 + Kesler. LA probably has a better Top 6, but they won the cup last season, so they're cursed and likely won't even make the playoffs. Detroit? They're tired and past their primes. Anaheim has six guys going (Perry, Getzlaf, Ryan, Koivu, Selanne and Winnik). And then there is St. Louis (Steen, Oshie, Perron, Tarasenko, Stewart, Backes...I could list more than six for St. Louis, which is scary).
But have you noticed the standings? How in the world is Anaheim winning games? Viktor Fasth is playing out of his mind, but the D in Anaheim is so terrible. Chicago, as good as they are, is an illusion as well. Patrick Kane is so not a Top 3 scorer in the NHL; they really only have two great defenseman, and the goaltending borders on bad. St. Louis, who should be clearly dominating, aren't. Vancouver is only five or six key injuries away from being terrible. And even if they even make the playoffs, we know how that will work out. Their goaltending completely disappears. The Canucks are never going to win a cup...ever...and we all know it.
And have you noticed how the Oilers can always come back in games? That's why they'll win a cup. They could be down two goals, or three goals, or even four goals, and they're still going to win. Why? Because offense to them is a water tap to us. They can turn it on or off at will.
Moving on to the how...So here's what's going to happen:
1. The Oilers are going to be somewhere between 7th and 10th in the standings up until the trade deadline. At that time, Oilers management will need to make a decision: Are they buyers or seller? Pressure from the fans and the team internally might term them into buyers. A couple of deals could occur. Mark Streit as a rental from the Islanders. Or Jay Bouwmeester, not as a rental, from Calgary. Or what about Robyn Regehr from Buffalo? You should see the Oilers off-load Ryan Whitney for a draft pick, followed by the Oilers making two moves to add rental defenseman of significance.
2. Depending on the injury situation, the Oilers could bring in a few rental forwards to upgrade the team as well. If Shawn Horcoff is back and if Eric Belanger and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is healthy, there's no rush to get a center until he's a long-term asset.
3. Let's just assume Horcoff is back, and the Oilers have a four healthy centers (Nuge, Gagner, Horcoff and Belanger). Two defensive guys; two offensive guys. Not bad. Add to this solid wingers (Hall and Eberle on line 1, Hemsky and Yakupov on line 2, Smyth and Jones on line 3, and some combination on Paajarvi, Hartikainen, Petrell and Eager on line 4). If all of these guys are healthy, this is a stacked team. Smyth, who has had a tough season up until now, will turn it on if the Oilers make the playoffs. Ryan Jones is going to be fresh and ready. He's the type of player who could easily pull a Pisani in the playoffs. 14 goals.
4. On D, you have the quality trade deadline addition + Justin Schultz, Smid and Petry, and Nick Schultz and Fistric. Add a quality player for the #7 guy. Completely solid D pairings. Devan Dubnyk stands on his head during the playoffs, and the team is complete. A well-oiled machine.
The Oilers will finish eighth and end up facing the Canucks in the 1st round. They will beat the Canucks, because they won't be able to keep up with the Oilers. Hall and Ebs are more or less a better version of the twins. In the second round, you'll have Chicago, and you know what happens every time the Oilers play against Chicago: Sam Gagner scores eight points. During the four game sweep of a series, Gagner will finish with 32pts.
In the third round, it will be some dull pointless team like Phoenix or Nashville...Because the NHL's rule system still seems to reward teams who win through dirty play and the trap instead of those who have actual talent. The young Oilers warriors will be drunk with power at this point, and they'll run right over whatever lame trap team they face.
Which brings us to the Stanley Cup Finals. Who's it gonna be? Will it be the team with the best two forwards in the game (Malkin and Crosby)? Will it be the Devils again, even though no one can figure out how they win games? Looking at the standings, I'm going with Carolina. Yep. It will be 2006 all over again.
We all know how the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals turned out. The only reason the Oilers lost is because of Marc-Andre Bergeron. If Rolly would have been healthy, the Oilers would have won in four...maybe five. Things would be different this time around. The two remaining Oilers from that 2006 series (Hemsky and Horcoff) will have revenge on their minds. By the end of Game 3, all the Staal children will cry themselves to sleep after drinking the warm milk Mama Staal made for them.
You've heard it here first: Oilers. Cup. 2013. It's about time Stanley came home again.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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