Without Ryan Smyth, Edmonton is lost

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007

By Lucas Aykroyd

When you think of the all-time classic Edmonton Oilers, you think of names like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, and Glenn Anderson. But even though Ryan Smyth lacks the Stanley Cup rings of the aforementioned legends, his tenacity and longevity are moving him up into their class.

The 30-year-old left wing will probably surpass Doug Weight (577 points for Edmonton) for sixth place in the club’s career scoring list sometime in 2007-08. Barring injury, the only way Smyth won’t achieve that milestone is if Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe fails to sign him to a new contract. The 11-year NHL veteran will earn $3.5 million this season, but the intangibles he brings to the Oilers put him in line for a raise.

Showing his resilience, Smyth scored nine points in five games after returning from a broken thumb that sidelined him for most of December. But that wasn’t his primary focus after the Oilers lost 3-2 in overtime to the Vancouver Canucks at GM Place on January 4.

“We’re making mental errors and beating ourselves,” Smyth said of Edmonton’s recent slump that yielded five wins out of 14 games in December and a pair of overtime losses early in the New Year. “We’ve got a good team in here and we’re capable of winning. It’s just a matter of us executing properly.”

Edmonton’s defensive woes have been its undoing. The club has suffered from losing Chris Pronger to Anaheim and Jaroslav Spacek to Buffalo. Edmonton allowed four or more goals in seven of its December defeats. That’s provoked speculation that Lowe will deal for an experienced defenseman before the February 27 trade deadline.

However, Smyth refuses to point the finger at number one netminder Dwayne Roloson, whose current numbers are comparable to those he posted last year (2.77 GAA and .905 save percentage): “I wouldn’t blame a lot of the losses on Roloson at all. He’s the backbone of the team. He makes key saves at the right times. It’s a matter of us playing better in front of him.”

Surprisingly, the January 2 acquisition of Petr Nedved off NHL waivers might help turn Edmonton’s fortunes around. The 35-year-old Czech center’s career appeared to be winding down when he flopped with Philadelphia earlier this season, but he earned a point in each of his first two games with Edmonton. It’s his second stint with the Oilers.

“Nedved played really well for us back in 2004,” said Smyth. “He gave us a sense of life in our drive to make the playoffs that year, even though we fell short. He’s playing really well so far.”

That example could inspire other Oiler forwards. Although Smyth, Jarrett Stoll and team scoring leader Petr Sykora have played well this season, more goals are needed from the likes of Shawn Horcoff, Raffi Torres, and Fernando Pisani. Magical playmaker Ales Hemsky also needs to generate more offense in view of his six-year, $24.6-million deal.

Clearly, the Oilers have a long way to go if they hope to emulate last year’s run to Game Seven of the Stanley Cup finals versus the Carolina Hurricanes. If they can’t claw their way to the top of the tight Northwest Division and secure what will likely be the third Western Conference seed, they could end up battling for eighth place, just as they did in 2005-06.

Whatever the scenario, they’re unlikely to get far without a great performance from Ryan Smyth, who potted 16 points in last year’s playoffs. The man with the classic hockey mullet, the straight stick, and the penchant for battling along the boards and in front of goalies is just too important for this Edmonton club to survive without.