With Horcoff out of the lineup, and the Oilers already lacking depth they probably won't be able to take advantage to the same degree, but I certainly hope Tom Renney decides to use Ales Hemsky and Dustin Penner on different lines. At least one of them will be exposed to some pretty green (and bad) defenders, and should be able to take advantage. But if they're playing together, the Staal-Girardi combination will be all over them.

And guess what? Those two are very good. Staal is surprisingly good, not in the sense that I didn't know his numbers were fabulous, but in the sense that he just doesn't look all that great when you watch him. Staal isn't particularly fast, but he's fast enough that most players can't beat him wide and get to the net. He's a physically huge, but he's still big, and he plays an effective physical style that sees him staying in position and delivering hits whenever he can do it without losing position. He's also got a very good stick, and he seems like a competent passer as well. The offense isn't there the way it is for guys like Drew Doughty and Duncan Keith, but defensively, the guy is an absolute gem, and pretty much exactly the kind of player the Oilers need to stabilize their defense. Sadly, something tells me that New York's very best defenseman isn't on the market.