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1999-2000 Stat Leaders Stat  Leader  No.  Goals  Ryan Smyth  28  Assists  Doug Weight  51  Points  Doug Weight  72  +/-  Jason Smith  16  Shots  Ryan Smyth  238  Ice Time (F)  Tom Poti  24:10  Ice Time (D)  Roman Hamrlik  25:17  Faceoff Pct.  Jim Dowd  54.03  Hits  Jason Smith  260  PP Pts  Roman Hamrlik  26  SH Pts  Mike Grier  4

It would be easy to say that the Edmonton sky has fallen since general manager Glen Sather bolted to the Rangers over the summer. But it hasn't. Sather left the franchise in capable hands when Kevin Lowe traded in his coaching duties for the GM's job. In one of his first moves, Lowe promoted Craig MacTavish from assistant to head coach. MacTavish went to work immediately, filling out his staff and working with players.

The knock against the Oilers, as always, is that they play in a small market. Lowe will have a $27 million payroll to play with, not a lot considering that it will take about $7 million alone to re-sign C Doug Weight and F Ryan Smyth. Weight has already inked a one-year deal, so that helps a little. Lowe will also have to contend with 37 owners, something that eventually exasperated Sather.

The good news is that the Oilers, outside of dealing away defenseman Roman Hamrlik, remain the same: hard working, gritty and full of speed. They should challenge the Avalanche for the division crown again. But they can't endure another slide like the one at the end of last season, when they won just four of their final 12 games.

For more on the Oilers, bookmark this page and check back Wednesday, Oct. 11 for a Sports Illustrated Scouting Report.

BRIGHT SPOTS		GRAY AREAS
Third-line bangers Mike Grier, Todd Marchant and Ethan Moreau combined to score 43 goals and amass 98 points. Team speed enabled them to tie for seventh in the NHL with nine shorthanded goals. The loss of Hamrlik, a 25-minute player, will hurt, but Jason Smith was voted the team's best defenseman, and Janne Niinimaa and Tom Poti are workhorses. Goalie Tommy Salo proved he was durable last season, appearing in 70 games and showing he's a bargain at $1.8 million per year. Restricted free agent Doug Weight re-upped for one season, thus avoiding a messy negotiation process that could have been drawn out much longer. "Dougie is our captain, he's the team leader both on and off the ice, and he is clearly our go-to guy," said Lowe.		After a hot start in which he scored 18 goals in the first 24 games, F Alexander Selivanov scored just nine more the rest of the way. Late-season collapse cost them a chance at the division title, as well as a higher playoff seed. They're a team that can't afford any letdowns such as that. Of the eight Western Conference teams that made the playoffs last season, the Oilers had the worst intra-conference record, going 20-30-7. Overall, they finished with the second-worst inter-conference mark after Nashville (17-34-5). Talk about going to the well. The Oilers found themselves in overtime 28 times last season -- tied for first in the NHL -- going 4-9-15.

Comings
Player	Pos.	From	Via
Sean Brown	D	Edmonton	Re-signed
Scott Ferguson	C	Anaheim	Free agent
Josh Green	LW	Edmonton	Re-signed
Mike Grier	F	Edmonton	Re-signed
Dan LaCouture	LW	Edmonton	Re-signed
Todd Marchant	C	Edmonton	Re-signed
Ethan Moreau	LW	Edmonton	Re-signed
Brad Norton	D	Edmonton	Re-signed
Domenic Pittis	C	Buffalo	Free agent
Terran Sandwith	D	Toronto	Free agent
Jason Smith	D	Edmonton	Re-signed
Igor Ulanov	D	Edmonton	Re-signed

Goings
Player	Pos.	To	Via
Boyd Devereaux	C	Detroit	Free agent
Jim Dowd	C	Minnesota	Expansion
Rob Murray	C	Philadelphia	Free agent
Michel Picard	LW	Philadelphia	Free agent
Bill Ranford	G	Retired
Bert Robertsson	D	Columbus	Expansion
German Titov	LW	Anaheim	Free agent

Prospect Watch
Michel Riesen, RW, 6'2", 190
Born: April 11, 1979 in Oberbalm, Switzerland
Acquired: 1997 draft, first round (No. 14 overall)
Drawing comparisons to Markus Naslund, Riesen is a strong candidate to join the Oilers this season. He has exceptional speed, to go along with soft hands. Scouts project him as second-line player who can score 25-30 goals a year.

Get the Highlighter
Fri., Oct. 6 vs. Detroit: Early test starts the season. Oilers went 1-2-1 against the Wings last season.
Tues., Nov. 7 at N.Y. Rangers: Doesn't mean much now, but Oilers head to New York to face off against former franchise godfather Glen Sather.
Wed., Dec. 13 at Dallas: Brutal stretch in which they play 10 of the next 12 away. Edmonton went 14-20-7 away from the Skyreach Centre.
Wed., March 28 vs. Colorado: Could be a meaningful game. Two teams have quietly built up a modest rivalry due in large part to past playoff matchups.
Mon., April 2 at Colorado: They went 2-3-1 against the Avs last year. Game could decide playoff seeding, or division.

Quoteworthy
"Look at it this way: Would you trade [Donald] Brashear straight up for [Bob] Probert? Or [Tie] Domi? I think just about everybody would say 'yes.'"
--Edmonton tough guy Georges Laraque, pushing for the Canucks to sign his fighting rival, Brashear.

Team-by-team previews compiled by CNNSI.com's Ken Klavon, Jamie MacDonald and Jimmy Traina.

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