| Forwards |
Grade |
|
| Eric Belanger | Oiler fans scratching their heads because of all the PP time, but it’s mostly due to the injuries and lack of production from Paajarvi. He’s a productive in the face-off circle. |
B |
| Ben Eager | Doesn’t play a lot, only averaging 7:34 TOI. A crasher & banger and that’s about it. |
C |
| Jordan Eberle | He’s been absolute gold this season, he’s making everyone around him better – it’s what great players do. He’s got 3 game-winning goals good for 5th in the league in that category |
A |
| Sam Gagner | After a slow start to forget, he’s been hot since Taylor Hall went down. He’s a top 6 forward, not a bottom 6 guy. He’s still a great talent. Since he’s bounced back I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. |
B- |
| Taylor Hall | This kid plays with so much passion that it landed him on the injured reserve. You feel like he can score or make a goal any shift he’s on. He’s the real deal. |
A |
| Ales Hemsky | As is always the case with Hemsky, “When he’s healthy, he’s good”. Well such is the case again this season. Overshadowed by the rise of the kids may have been a good thing. |
B+ |
| Shawn Horcoff | For the first time since signing his contract extension, we can finally say… “He’s earning his pay check”. Yes it’s true. He leads all forwards in ice time and has a cool 20 points in 27 games. |
A- |
| Darcy Hordichuk | Same story as Eager, but he’s got more character. |
C+ |
| Ryan Jones | He’s the ultimate third line player, last season’s breakout was no fluke. He could get 20 goals this season. |
B |
| Anton Lander | The rookie from Sweden is adjusting to the game, and it could take a while until we see real offensive production from him |
C+ |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | What can we say about this kid? He’s 9th in the league in scoring and a force to be reckoned with already. The Nuge may be the best of all the kids in the system. |
A+ |
| Magnus Paajarvi | He’s been a ghost out there. 2 points in 23 points is embarrassing for the sophomore Swede that had 34 last season. Now just getting into double digit points seems like an uphill battle |
F |
| Lennart Petrell | The 27 year old out of Finland has had a pretty good season all things considering. The surprise out of training camp looks to stick around all year |
B- |
| Ryan Smyth | What a season he’s had thus far. So much heart, so much passion. He’s been everything and more since the Oilers reacquired Smytty. |
A+ |
|
|
||
| Defence |
Grade |
|
| Cam Barker | He’s just not very good |
C- |
| Tom Gilbert | He’s been a horse for the Oilers back-end. Averages 24:38 per game, which leads the Oilers. He could even get to the 40 point mark this season, maybe. |
B+ |
| Theo Peckham | Theo has had some consistency issues, he seems lost at times. He’s just your average 5/6 blueliner. |
C |
| Jeff Petry | I like his emergence this season, the Oilers have begun trusting him with more ice-time. Only time will tell if he can be more than a depth d-man |
B- |
| Corey Potter | It’s a shame he went down with an injury, he was enjoying the breakout he’s been waiting for his entire career. He’s been a great story thus far and needs to get back into the line-up |
B+ |
| Ladislav Smid | The shot blocking machine is has been a workhorse along with Gilbert on the blueline. Averaging over 20 minutes a game, it’s crucial he stays healthy |
B+ |
| Andy Sutton | Did anyone see the soft hands of Andy Sutton? Well if you didn’t, you probably won’t see it again. A solid character player |
B- |
| Ryan Whitney | What’s up Ryan? All the Ryan’s are playing great except you. Still injured or something? 1 point in 10 games, it’s been a season to forget. |
C- |
|
|
||
| Goalies |
Grade |
|
| Devan Dubnyk | It was supposed to be Dubynk’s starter’s job to lose, well he lost it. You never know what you’re going to get. He’s put up some gems but more stinkers. |
C+ |
| Nikolai Khabibulin | Dubnyk’s loss is Khabibulin’s gain. He’s asserted himself as the clear number one goalie in Edmonton. He’s stolen some games for the Oilers and is sitting at a nice .932 SV% |
A- |
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