Horcoff is Edmonton’s New Captain; Oilers’ Lines Set

Shawn Horcoff (Dan4th/Flickr)

Just one day before the NHL regular season begins, the Edmonton Oilers have named their captain. No, it isn’t prized rookie Taylor Hall, although that is all but guaranteed to happen at some point in his career. The new Oilers captain is none other than Shawn Horcoff, Edmonton’s overpaid default number one center, a guy the organization had tried to trade last season. But in Horcoff’s defense, he’s a strong leader, and he seems to have found a renewed game playing with Hall and Eberle. Edmonton will kick off the season Thursday night at home against the Calgary Flames and the opening night lines for the Edmonton Oilers have been set today by coach Tom Renney.

The forward units during practice looked like this:

• Penner- Gagner- Hemsky
• Hall- Horcoff- Eberle
• Paajarvi- Cogliano – Brule
• Jones/MacIntyre- Fraser- Stortini

Magnus Paajarvi was originally slotted in on the top line with Sam Gagner and Ales Hemsky, but was switched down to the third line in favor of Dustin Penner. Coach Renney appears to be looking for experience on the top line, as the second line features an exuberance of youth, with vet and new captain Shawn Horcoff centering rookies Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. The line looks similar to the stalls in the Oiler dressing room, having Hall sandwiched between Horcoff and Eberle. Management is counting upon Horcoff to provide some direction and mentor-ship to Hall. It’s going to be a make or break season for Andrew Cogliano who signed a one year deal with the Oilers in the offseason. Edmonton is really giving Cogliano a lot of chances, as there was much expected from the 25th overall pick. He is one of the most fluid skaters in the league, but he needs to improve upon his offensive output if he wants long-term success in the NHL. The Oilers are also hoping for a big year from Sam Gagner, who at just age 21 is already entering into his 4th season in the NHL. Gagner was touted to be a front line center but struggled in his development at the pro level. Hindsight suggests he was rushed to the NHL before truly being ready, but with a lot of experience under his belt it’s Gagner’s chance to shine.

The Defensive pairings haven’t been finalized but they are expected to look like this:

• Gilbert – Whitney
• Smid – Foster
• Vandermeer – Peckham

Ryan Whitney and Tom Gilbert ended last season on a high with increased production, and they will need to continue that as the Oilers top defensive pairings. Gilbert’s production has tailed off, and nobody really knows what to expect from the talented blueliner, but his expensive contract suggests that there will be much more required of him. Ryan Whitney has bounced around since being a first round draft pick and Edmonton is hoping that he can regain his offensive touch. Ladislav Smid has a lot to prove as he is in a contract year. Newcomer Kurtis Foster will also be relied upon for some offense and toughness on the back-end.

Edmonton Oilers (Dan4th/photoree)

The Oilers plan to carry three goaltenders, Nikolai Khabibulin, Devan Dubnyk and Jeff Deslauriers. Khabibulin is expected to be the starter, but theres no word yet on who will earn the back-up position. For the  full Edmonton Oilers preview, click here.