Edmonton still struggles

Oiler Shawn Horcoff battles for the puck in last night's 4-2 loss to Anaheim

I couldn't help but noticing a bit of an insightful statement from ESPN's NHL Power Rankings. (Which are superb compared to SI's) We find the Oilers ranked 28^th out of 30, one position better than last week's 29^th. Their caption reads: “The Oilers have lost three of four while keeping their eye on the lottery pick.”

What?!? You've gotta be kitten me right meow. For a team that started off the season great at 8-2-2, Edmonton has plummeted to 25-34-6, with 56 points and well out of a playoff spot. Even the Blue Jackets are catching the Oilers! Even the Canadiens are catching the Oilers!

What's more surprising, Edmonton is looking at the possibility of three straight seasons of being rock-bottom in the league. 62 points in the last two seasons, and maybe a few more than that this season. With four of the main scoring contributors still under 23 years old, Edmonton is looking at its third straight season with a high draft pick, potentially #1 once again.

But really, what does this even mean for the Oilers? What have the past two seasons even done to prove their success with draft choices? I'm certainly not ignoring Hall and RNH's success, but the team overall is still doing miserable. What is a third straight top draft choice going to do for them? What will happen when the Oilers acquire someone like Nail Yakupov, or Ryan Murray in this year's draft? How close is this team – which hasn't graced the playoffs since their 2006 cup bid – to contending in the playoffs? (Don't forget, on that 2006 run, Edmonton was still ranked 8^th in the West overall, hardly even in the postseason)

Regardless, they still have an extremely loyal fan base, which believes it will have an incredible NHL team a few years down the road. We'll have to wait and see.