HockeyOilers need big season from their blue-line

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Edmonton Oilers' Ryan Whitney, left, holds off St. Louis Blues' Vladmir Sobotka during NHL action last season. The puck-moving defenceman is recovering from ankle surgery last January. (John Ulan/Canadian Press).

Going into the 2011-12 NHL campaign, one area the Edmonton Oilers don't have any concerns is up front. They are well stocked at forward with the speed and skill of youngsters Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi, Linus Omark and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, along with the veteran presence of Ryan Smyth, Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky and Eric Belanger.

Heck, it appears that the Oilers third-leading goal scorer from last season, Ryan Jones, who checked in with 18, will begin the season down the depth chart on the fourth line.

But the blue-line is another matter. The Oilers will arrive in Jasper, Alta., for a few days of team building on Tuesday with three injured defencemen and questionable to start the regular season against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Rexall Place on Sunday.

Last January, Ryan Whitney suffered a season-ending right ankle injury and underwent surgery. He hasn't seen any pre-season action. Ladislav Smid is out with a right shoulder injury and could begin the season on the injured list, while Taylor Chorney has a knee ailment that he is dealing with.

That means Tom Gilbert, Theo Peckham, Andy Sutton and Cam Barker will be the main Oilers defencemen to start the season. Jeff Petry, who played 35 games for Edmonton last season, also may be forced into action.

Tambellini's wish list 

A glaring weakness for the Oilers last season was their play in the defensive zone. They yielded 269 goals. Only the Colorado Avalanche surrendered more at 288. The Oilers simply weren't physical enough around their goalies Nikolai Khabibulin and Devan Dubnyk.

They also could use a puck-moving defenceman. Whitney led all Edmonton blue-liners offensively with two goals and 27 points in 35 games last season. With him on the shelf, there is little doubt general manager Steve Tambellini is searching to add an offensive defenceman.

If the Oilers end their playoff drought, which dates back to 2006 when they stretched the Carolina Hurricanes to a seventh and deciding game in the Stanley Cup Final, they need a healthy, productive and physical blue-line. But with the regular season days away, that is not the case.

Coach: Tom Renney is in his second year as head coach of the Oilers after spending a season as Edmonton's associate coach under Pat Quinn. Prior to joining the Oilers, the 56-year-old Renney spent four-plus seasons as the New York Rangers head coach, guiding them to a pair of second-round playoff appearances. An outstanding teacher, he also led the Kamloops Blazers to the 1991-92 Memorial Cup and Canada to a silver medal at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer.

GM: Tambellini enters his fourth season as the Oilers general manager. The B.C. Hockey Hall of Famer beefed up his roster over the summer and wants to see his club in the playoffs. Tambellini, 53, played 10 seasons in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup with the 1979-80 New York Islanders. His son Jeff played for the Vancouver Canucks last season and moved on the Swiss league this year..

Last year: 25-45-12--62 points, 15th in the West (35 points out of the playoffs).

Who's in: C Eric Belanger, C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, LW Ryan Smyth, D Andy Sutton, LW Ben Eager, D Cam Barker, LW Darcy Hordichuk.

Who's out: D Kurtis Foster, C Colin Fraser, C Andrew Cogliano, LW Jean-Francois Jacques, RW Zack Stortini, D Jim Vandermeer, D Sheldon Souray, G Jeff Deslauriers, LW Liam Reddox, G Martin Gerber, D Jason Strudwick.

Payroll: $60.0 million US (15th in the NHL).

Key stat: The Oilers have notched only 62 points in each of the last two seasons, both totals are the lowest in franchise history.

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