TSN Staff wrote:But the 2007-08 campaign left some strong, positive signs for the future. With key veterans out of the lineup, it was the kids' turn to run with the ball. Prospect Andrew Cogliano and 2007 first-rounder Sam Gagner made an immediate impact, along with youngsters Kyle Brodziak, Tom Gilbert and Denis Grebeshkov. Mathieu Garon, who started the season as a backup, took hold of the No. 1 job. It took a while for these new-look Oilers to develop their chemistry, but it paid off down the stretch when the team went 14-5-1 in their last 20 games and jumped from 13th to ninth in the conference standings.
With the club's improvements over the summer, everything appears to be in place for a promising season in Edmonton. Case in point: Head coach Craig MacTavish already said that this is the best team he's seen since the one that went to the 2006 Cup Final. It seems that the Oilers have finally found that identity that they've been looking for.
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http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=251187&lid=headline&lpos=secStory_main
E.J. Hradek wrote:In a division in which every other team fell backward, the Oilers have surged ahead. Over the summer, top suit Kevin Lowe snagged power forward Erik Cole, underrated D Lubomir Visnovsky and homeboy Gilbert Brule. That's one productive off-season. Hard-shooting D Sheldon Souray, C Shawn Horcoff and F Ethan Moreau will rejoin the fight after missing a combined 142 games, and recent draftees (Sam Gagner, 49 points, and Andrew Cogliano, 45) are hitting their stride. In goal, Mathieu Garon (.913 SP) and Dwayne Roloson (.901) offer no bad option. The Oilers sat out the playoffs the past two years. That trend is done.
KEY PROSPECT: Taylor Chorney, 21, D
The 2005 second-round pick passed up his senior year at North Dakota to offer his on-ice leadership to the Oilers.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3607061