Decade of Suck, part 2

So the Isles' streak of 14 losses has been snapped. Does that mean they're no longer on pace to be epically shitty? Perhaps. The NHL is more evenly competitive than it's ever been, and streaks just happen. However, we can always hope to see a new mark for futility.

Next, we examine a surprisingly less shitty team than I remember:

9. 2009-2010 Edmonton Oilers

Point Total: 62
Record: 27-47-8 (W-L-OTL)
Points Behind Next Worst: 12 (Maple Leafs)
Goal Differential: -70 (Worst in NHL)

The Season

The lone bright spot of these Oilers (besides the high first round draft pick, which is more than the Leafs can claim), was their shootout record of 8-6. With only 2 OT losses the entire year (excluding Shootout Losses), I think it's safe to say their points total was inflated.

They started out, as many poor teams do, pretty decently, going 6-2-1 in their first 9 games. Optimism was perhaps crushed when they dropped their next 6 out of 7, losing every game by at least 2 goals and finding their only win in a shootout. After an up-and-down rest of November, they hit the jets in December, winning 5 straight road games. Confident, they began a homestand of their own, expecting great things.

[Oops}

They were swept on their 4-game homestand, then scored a whopping 3 goals over their next 3 games. Still, 6-8-0 is not a terrible December record, if not an encouraging one. Of course, they didn't win a single game the next month, going 0-10-2. On Dec. 30, they had 36 points. 31 days later, they had 38. They traded streaks down the stretch for the most part, but the Oilers were completely unable to recover from their mid-season slump, and finished dead last in the NHL.

Good Signs

Dustin "Offer Sheet" Penner scored 32 goals (including the 100th of his career), a team high. Unfortunately, no one else scored over 17. Ales Hemsky, injured most of the season, was a point per game, netting 22 in 22 games, and an impressive +7. Ryan Whitney, acquired in a trade from Anaheim, led the team with +7 in 19 games. And while Khabibulin had a fairly shitty 3.03 GAA, his SP was .909, better than many goaltenders who made the playoffs. Oh, and then the draft.

Did They Make the Best of It?

Too soon to tell. Taylor Hall is a franchise player, sure. But it's uncertain what kind of franchise player he'll be. Currently he's 6th among rookies, not a position you want from a number one pick. 11 points in 22 games and a -6. Teammate Jordan Eberle has 14, and possibly the year's highlight reel goal (not involving an inept Mike Green). But in a relatively weak-looking draft, Edmonton grabbed one of the two notable players. That has to count for something, right?

Right?

- Matt