It';s prediction time, and the thing most fans want to know is whether or not
the 2017-18 season was an aberration and if the Edmonton Oilers can get back to
 the playoffs in 2018-19. For that to happen, a few things need to go their
way. The Oilers'; roster constructed by general manager Peter Chiarelli is
faith-driven. What that means is that the expectation is on a lot of Oilers to
have bounce-back or breakout years.

Last season, bets were placed on the likes of Milan Lucic, Jesse Puljujarvi,
Drake Caggiula and Anton Slepyshev being more assertive players. If they took
forward strides and gave Edmonton some balanced scoring, the Oilers were sure
to make a deep run at the Stanley Cup, right? Wrong. The results didn';t
reflect the hope and faith that was put into them at the beginning of the year,
 and the team ultimately missed the playoffs by 17 points. Yikes!Milan Lucic
(Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports)

Because of their cap situation, Chiarelli';s hands were tied this summer
meaning no big free agent signing was going to bail them out. Instead, they
were quite making a few depth acquisitions in Tobias Rieder, Kyle Brodziak, and
 Kevin Gravel. So once again, Chiarelli and the Oilers managerial staff are
doubling down on what they have internally to get back into the playoffs. Will
they be rewarded for their faith or is this the definition of insanity?

For this club to make the playoffs in 2018-19, a few things need to happen,
obviously. Here are five predictions that could land the Oilers back in the
playoffs next April.Milan Lucic Will Have a Bounceback Season

If you were to predict that Lucic would';ve scored just one goal in the final
46 games of the 2017-18 season, most folks would';ve laughed you out of the
building. But that';s exactly what happened, and Lucic ended the year with just
 10 goals and 34 points in 82 games. His 0.41 points per game were the lowest
in his career dating back to an injury-plagued 2009-10 season (0.40) in which
he played just 50 games.Related: Oilers Aren';t Trading Milan Lucic

With a $6-million price tag and him entering year three of seven of his
$42-million deal, the Oilers can ill-afford for Lucic to flounder again. There
were rumors he was being shopped this summer, but there';s a 99.9-percent
chance that he is still an Oiler on opening night. Chiarelli has a had a lot of
 faith in Lucic, and the two have a relationship that goes back 12 years to the
 2006 NHL Draft. Is Lucic fully into his decline or will he regain some of the
confidence he lost in the second half of the year and reward Chiarelli';s faith
 with a 20-goal season? Bet on the latter.

Tobias Rieder Will Start Season With Leon Draisaitl

The minute the Oilers signed Tobias Rieder, most prognosticators penciled him
to flank Leon Draisaitl on Edmonton';s second line. The connection was easy to
make for some. Rieder, 25, spent time with Draisaitl at the World Cup and World
 Championships in recent years. Both are German-born players, and nationality
aside, they did have a touch of chemistry in these small sample sizes. Rieder
is also an adept penalty killer, but his role in Edmonton is yet to be
determined.Related: Where Does Tobias Rieder Fit in Edmonton?

The right side depth is a giant question mark and Rieder';s abilities to play
both wings make him somewhat versatile. Then again, the fact he';s never scored
 more than 16 goals or 37 points during his 312-game NHL career is concerning
if head coach Todd McLellan plans to weld him amongst his top-six. Expect
Rieder to start the year with Draisaitl, but also for the natural evolution of
the season to provide another player with a chance to stick as the No. 2 right
wing next to Draisaitl.Tobias Rieder (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

If the goal is to task Rieder with some minutes on the power play and penalty
kill, it might be too much to ask for him to play such a prominent role during
5-on-5 play. As the season wears on, it';s much more likely that Rieder slides
into a third-line role while still eating those special teams minutes. Can we
reasonably expect Rieder to score 15 goals and register 35 points or more in
2018-19? It';s possible.Jesse Puljujarvi Has a Breakout Year

So if Rieder is going to eventually slide into a third-line role on either the
left or right side-let';s say it';s the right-who takes his spot? How about the
 guy that';s drawn some ire from folks for his "slow development"? The fourth
overall pick from the 2016 NHL Draft, Puljujarvi enters his third season in the
 NHL. While Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine have been thrust into
superstardom, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Puljujarvi are still trying to find their
legs.

The 21-year-old is entering a contract year, and what better way to set up for
a payday than to have your breakout year in the final year of your entry-level
contract (ELC)? Puljujarvi put up just 12 goals and 20 points in 65 games last
year. If he were to get consistent top-six minutes, along with first-unit
power-play time, could McLellan finally unlock Puljuajrvi';s full
potential?Jesse Puljujarvi (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

If Edmonton is going to make the playoffs they';ll need supporting players like
 Puljujarvi to be part of that solution. If the stars align and a healthy,
motivated Puljujarvi comes into 2018-19 chomping at the bit, can he score 20
goals, and maybe 50 points? No one is expecting him to have world-beater
numbers. Going from 8 to 20 and then suddenly 50 points is a gigantic increase,
 but isn';t it about time? Is a 20-20-40 season more realistic? Bank on
something in the middle.Bouchard & Yamamoto Won';t Play Full Seasons

Evan Bouchard has garnered a lot of attention and praise for the year he had
with the OHL';s London Knights, registering 87 points in the process. It led to
 the Oilers grinning when they got the offensive puck-mover with the tenth
overall pick. He participated in the World Juniors Summer Showcase and has a
realistic shot at making Canada';s 2019 WJC squad. The Oilers defense depth
right now doesn';t have a true vacancy.Related: Edmonton Oilers Top 10
Prospects (Summer 2018)

The right side is loaded with Adam Larsson, Kris Russell, and Matt Benning.
Unless he can knock the socks off the decision-makers, expect Bouchard to get
an extended look that might even include a nine-game audition to start the
year. After that it';s likely he ends up back in junior to play for a very deep
 London squad that';s loaded on defense.Evan Bouchard (Amy Irvin / The Hockey
Writers)

Kailer Yamamoto is another name worth mentioning. He';s got an outside shot at
making Edmonton';s opening-night roster like he did a year ago. The
questionable nature of the right wing depth chart is his opening, but the
Oilers are committed to giving Ty Rattie an extended look in the top-six,
they';re unlikely to demote Puljujarvi to the AHL, and Rieder looks like a
decent top-six addition. Zack Kassian is penciled into the No. 4 spot, thus
there are more players than jobs.Related: Edmonton Oilers - 2018 NHL Draft
Review

The best thing for the 20-year-old will be to start the year in the AHL where
he';ll get first line minutes with the Condors and first power play unit time.
He';ll be put in every opportunity to succeed and find his pro legs. After
making the Oilers out of camp last year, Yamamoto will once again challenge for
 a job. If he';s unsuccessful in making the club, expect him to get first
re-call opportunities. Once the Oilers figure out what they have in the NHL
(say in January), expect Yamamoto to come back swinging and end the year as a
full-time Oiler.

Cam Talbot Returns to 2016-17 Form

Lastly, you can';t win if you can';t stop the puck. Edmonton might have McDavid
 and Draisaitl leading the charge, but this isn';t a team that';s going to
challenge teams to outscore them in 7-5 games. They don';t have the high octane
 offense to challenge teams to that type of hockey. Last season Talbot had
without a doubt his worst year in the Oilers crease. He was sloppy, allowed
teams to capitalize early, and couldn';t make the big save when it was
needed.Related: Is Talbot The Long-Term Answer In Edmonton?

Talbot played 67 games last season and held a disappointing 3.02 goals-against
average (GAA) and a .908 save percentage (SV%). This comes a year after posting
 a 2.39 GAA and a .919 SV% through 73 games and earning some Vezina Trophy
consideration. So now that the 31-year-old is entering the final year of his
contract, can he return to his 2016-17 Team MVP worthy performance?Cam Talbot
(Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Financial motivation aside, the disappointment in the year has to spark him to
once again be the backbone of this squad. He';s been an absolute workhorse and
no other NHL goalie has played more games over the past three seasons than
Talbot';s 196 outings. The added threat of newly acquired Mikko Koskinen from
the KHL pushing for minutes has to motivate Talbot to keep his spot as the No.
1.

If he falters you can bet the club will turn to Koskinen who carries a hefty
contract for a backup. If I';m a betting man and you look at the trend of where
 Talbot';s played, you can bank on his 2017-18 season being a one-off compared
to his career numbers. He';s a goalie that';ll net you 30-plus wins per season
and has averaged a 2.50 GAA and a .918 SV% through his 253-game NHL career. If
he bounces back, this team will have a shot at making up those 17 points that
caused them to miss the playoffs.

Do you agree or disagree with these predictions? Let us know your thoughts in
the comment section below, and let us know what predictions you have for the
2018-19 season.

The post 5 Predictions for Oilers'; 2018-19 Season appeared first on The Hockey
 Writers.

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