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OPENING NIGHTS, THEN AND NOW

By Lowetide

Jul 22, 2014, 15:22 EDTUpdated:

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The Edmonton Oilers are predictable when it comes to their roster spots—so predictable that we can surround the opening night lineup with very little trouble. It’s been years since an actual surprise emerged and won a job during the pre-season, and it’s extremely unlikely to happen this season.

Opening Night Fall 2005

L1: Smyth-Horcoff-Dvorak
L2: Torres-Peca-Hemsky
L3: Moreau-Stoll-Pisani
L4: Harvey-Reasoner-Laraque
D1: Pronger-Staios
D2: Ulanov-Smith
D3: Cross-Bergeron
G1: Ty Conklin (Jussi Markkanen)

No rookies on the team, in fact the leading rookie that season in games played was Matt Greene (27GP, 0-2-2) which sounds incredible in modern times. Mike Morrison, not technically a rookie by NHL standards, had the greater impact. He played 21 games for Edmonton in 2005-06 and won 10 of them.

Opening Night Fall 2006

L1: Smyth-Horcoff-Lupul
L2: Torres-Sykora-Hemsky
L3: Moreau-Stoll-Pisani
L4: Thoresen-Reasoner-Winchester
D1: Tjarnqvist-Smith
D2: Smid-Staios
D3: Bergeron-Greene
G1: Roloson (Markkanen)

The beginning of the ‘rookie era’ of Edmonton Oilers seasons. The defense is ruined, and we see youngsters Smid, Bergeron and Greene playing significant minutes before they’ve had time to develop as NHL players. The summer signings of Mark Fayne and (sign and trade) Nikita Nikitin are designed to avoid this depth chart.

Opening Night Fall 2007

L1: Penner-Horcoff-Hemsky
L2: Torres-Stoll-Nilsson
L3: Sanderson-Reasoner-Brodziak
L4: Jacques-Cogliano-Gagner
D1: Pitkanen-Staios
D2: Souray-Greene
D3: Tarnstrom-Gilbert
G1: Roloson-Garon

Tom Gilbert is a youngster here, and Kyle Brodziak jumps on to the third line to start the season. Look at that center depth! Edmonton would kill for it today.

Opening Night 2008

L1: Cole-Horcoff-Hemsky
L2: Cogliano-Gagner-Nilsson
L3: Moreau-Pisani-Penner
L4: Pouliot-Brodziak-Stortini
D1: Visnovsky-Souray
D2: Grebeskhov-Gilbert
D3: Strudwick-Staios
G1: Garon, Roloson, Deslauriers

This team eschewed the kids in prominent places to start this season, but they’re still wildly out of balance. Pisani is a center, none of the 2line shaves and they don’t trust Penner.

Opening Night 2009

L1: Jacques-Horcoff-Hemsky
L2: Penner-Cogliano-Brule
L3: O’Sullivan-Comrie-Stone
L4: Moreau-Gagner-Stortini
D1: Grebeshkov-Gilbert
D2: Souray-Staios
D3: Visnovsky-Smid
G1: Khabibulin, Deslauriers

Last season pre-Hall, this was Pat Quinn trolling us. A hood on every line and Lubo in the grease. Good Christ, they should have fired him when they saw the lineup.

Opening Night 2010

L1: Penner-Gagner-Hemsky
L2: Hall-Horcoff-Eberle
L3: Paajarvi-Cogliano-Brule
L4: Jones-Fraser-MacIntyre
D1: Whitney-Foster
D2: Smid-Gilbert
D3: Peckham-Vandermeer
G1: Khabibulin, Dubnyk

Renney made sense, he just did. Hall and Eberle with the best hand available, Gagner gets the best wingers to try and make hay. Too much youth, too little experience and that lineup would eventually get us Nuge.

Opening Night 2011

L1: Smyth-Belanger-Eberle
L2: Hall-Nuge-Hemsky
L3: Omark-Horcoff-Paajarvi
L4: Hordichuk-Lander-Jones
D1: Sutton-Gilbert
D2: Barker-Petry
D3: Smid-Peckham
G1: Dubnyk, Khabibulin

Oy. Tom Renney is now a juggler playing a banjo, lordy he should have sued. Hahahaa. Haahahaa. Man. That’s comedy.

Opening Night 2012

L1: Hall-RNH-Eberle
L2: Yakupov-Gagner-Hemsky
L3: Smyth-Horocff-Hartikainen
L4: Eager-Belanger-Petrell
D1: Smid-Petry
D2: Schultz-Schultz
D3: Whitney-Fistric
G1: Dubnyk, Khabibulin

This is Ralph now. There are some nice things here — it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if there was less chaos. Either way, we didn’t see Ralph for 50 games but he was as close to Sparky Anderson as we’ll see in modern time. He found the positives in everyone, and unlocked some talent.

Opening Night 2013

L1: Smyth-Hall-Hemsky
L2: Perron-Arcobello-Eberle
L3: Joensuu-Gordon-Yakupov
L4: Gazdic-Acton-Mike Brown
D1: Smid-Petry
D2: Nick Schultz-Belov
D3: Ference-Justin Schultz
G1:Devan Dubnyk (Jason LaBarbera)

Dallas Eakins shuffled Hall to center because of baby Nuge, and he gave No. 4 two veteran wingers. Young Arco got a key role and two quality wingers—we could see that line this fall, too. Gordon got the Russian and Joensuu, and the 4line came together very late.

Opening Night 2014 (Projected)

L1: Hall-Nuge-Eberle
L2: Perron-Arcobello–Yakupov
L3: Pouliot-Draisaitl-Purcell
L4: Hendricks-Gordon-Pitlick
D1: Nikitin-Fayne
D2: Marincin-Schultz
D3: Ference-Petry
G1: Scrivens (Fasth)

That’s my guess. I can see Nurse pushing, Klefbom too, and of course injuries can impact. If all of Marincin, Nurse and Klefbom show well in pre-season and early in the year, you may see Jeff Petry in a new town before the ho-ho-hold they payments ads hit radio and television.

I’d love to see your opening night lineup for 2014.