There is still time for them to turn it around – tonight against the Colorado Avalanche might be a good place to start – but exactly five weeks into the new season, the Edmonton Oilers were statistically the worst team in the league. And the worst team at the end of the season has the best chance to win the entry draft lottery which – sadly for the Oilers – would only mean that the Anaheim Ducks might be going to the microphone to announce the first player overall in what is expected to be an excellent draft class in 2008.
That’s the downside of the Oilers’ signing Dustin Penner as a restricted free agent. When the Ducks decided not to match the Oilers’ five-year, $21.5 million offer sheet for Penner’s services, they accepted as compensation first-, second- and third-round draft choices from Edmonton in the next entry draft.
The Oilers’ hope was that with Penner aboard, as well as the addition of free-agent Sheldon Souray, they would be a playoff team and that would diminish the value of their draft choices. Ducks’ GM Brian Burke took a verbal shot at his Oilers’ counterpart Kevin Lowe at the time of the signing, suggesting those would be quality draft picks. Penner is stuck at three goals in 15 games. If the Oilers’ struggles continue and the Ducks land the top pick in the next draft – a potential franchise player such as Sarnia Sting forward Steve Stamkos – it will end up being a costly gamble indeed.
