The Fate of the Kid Line

Predictions

Will Robbie Schremp keep up his scoring pace? Will Gilbert Brule be a factor in upcoming games? Will Sam Gagner and Robert Nilsson come back from injury and take their roster spots back with a vengeance?

The game in San Jose was a big win but let's be honest -- the Oilers were chasing pucks and not defending players. Back-to-back games or not, it's simple hockey not to chase the puck but to play the man. I was surprised at the poise of some of the younger players in the last game.

Please leave your comments and predictions.

Predictions until Christmas

Predictions for a Good Stretch:

Who on the Oilers roster will play the best hockey from now in mid-November until the Christmas break?

Whether or not the Kid Line stays together, I would bank on at least 2/3 of the components (Gagner/Cogliano, Nilsson/Cogliano, etc.) will have a good stretch based on their ability to play on almost any line. This will be important because now that MacT is going back to more "traditional" lineups this will either mean the Kid line will be reunited for good; or should the experiment fail, split up for good.

Should he be given the chance to stay in the lineup, Liam Reddox will stick around and play the GlenX role that we haven't seen filled since his departure, Torres' crazy knee injury, and the loss of guys PK guys like Radek Dvorak. Guys like Reddox are just too useful to a hockey team should injuries occur and I thin he has the edge over both Tim Sestito and Ladislav Smid, who will eventually find himself back on the blueline.

Steve Staios will play an important stretch of defensively sound hockey as the team's other D-men will start to push and pinch in order to try to get the offense to propel this team into playoff contention. This is markedly important considering the home crowd and the re-emergence of Mathieu Garon - somebody needs to play D and whether his partner is Strudwick or Smid is irrelevant.

Mathieu Garon - simply put, it's his time to take his crease back

Dustin Penner will have a renaissance on the 1st line whereas Erik Cole will continue to struggle with 3rd line obscurity. He's not unfamiliar with the role but for some reason he's awkward playing with Moreau and Pouliot. Too similar to Ethan Moreau, perhaps?

I would also predict the most likely of my predictions to be wrong is the Dustin Penner/Erik Cole one. We'll have to wait and see.