[CaptainCrunch]

Hey right now the Oilers are the shiny toy again where everyone buys into the August mega hype.

Its the same every year. But lets be honest, last years season seems like a lot of good luck and fortune in the face of disaster. They seemed to have picked the right coach who miraculously got them to stick to a system until they ran into Colorado and then Drai and McDavid went right back to being selfish players and they got their heads caved in.

All credit they beat the Flames in a series that came down to goaltending and their top players rising up while the Flames lost their top blueliner to injury and their two top and now dearly departed stars went quit.

But they barely scrapped by a vastly under talented Kings team.

During the regular season they were maybe a week away from a McDavid trade demand.

Are they any better this year? Can we honestly say that?

Up front Janmark is a nice addition to their bottom 6, other then that they're the same team. Clearly McDavid, Draisaitl, RNH, Kane and Hyman are their top 6. But McDavid and Draisaitl are clearly the key to the team. RNH is soft, Kane unpredictable and Hyman has a lot of miles on the tires. They'll score goals.

Their blueline is truly awful. Barrie is terrible, especially without the puck. Bouchard can't play defense and doesn't skate especially well, Ceci and Kulak had nice little seasons last year but are they every night middle 6 guys? No. Nurse is vastly over rated and now has the pressure of a massive contract.

But the biggest factor in the Oilers blueline is Mike Smith, For all of his warts and blunders he made last years blueline better with his ability to move the puck. That's gone and Campbell who played behind a vastly better blueline last year has never been a bonifide we can count on this guy starter. And Skinner is raw as it gets.

Sure, they could fluke and Oilers bounce to the top of the pacific, it could happen. But I look at that team, and it screams, if Draisaitl or McDavid have even a small step back that's an expansion level bad team.

Oh and teams are now going to know their coaches system and how he plays the game and the new coach bounce is gone and its different of saying to the wonder twins for 82 games that they have to back check.

If I was going to call for the highly anticipated team that fails, its the Oilers. Who still have to dump a body due to cap concerns and are well and truly F'd if the league decides that Smith is not injured, that team is in major trouble.

Oilers won't finish last in the West (Spoiler not a prediction). But I have them out of the playoffs by January.