Between 1984 and 1990, the Edmonton Oilers won five Stanley Cups. In the nine NHL seasons between 1997 and 2006 they made seven playoff appearances and lost in the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals to Carolina in seven games. How did a franchise with such storied success earn the unwanted distinction as the worst team in the league? The Oilers have not made the playoffs since that Cinderella Cup run in 2006 (they entered the playoffs that year as the 8th seed in the West and upset the heavily favored Red Wings in the first round), but were at least competitive up until this season. In 2006-07 they dropped to 12th in the West with 71 points, followed that up with 88 points and a 9th place finish, while their 38-35-9 record last year was only good for 11th place (85 points). This season has brought brand new lows across the board; with 55 points and 6 games remaining, they may reach their lowest point total ever in a non-strike season (60 points in 1992-93). They are in 30th place in a 30-team league with a 14-point cushion for last place in the league (Toronto ? last in the Eastern Conference), and 22 points behind the team ahead of them in the West (Columbus). How can they turn this around? The key for bottom-feeding teams to turn things around is through the draft first. If you are finishing at the bottom, you have the best shot at the #1 pick and can fall no lower than 2nd overall. The good thing for the Oilers is that this draft looks to have two future stars at the top (Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin) and they are guaranteed to get one of them. Rumors are rampant that the Oilers are willing to trade anyone on their roster to get the other top-2 draft pick, and may also be willing to deal anyone for the 3rd pick as well (which right now looks to be defenseman Cam Fowler). So at least G.M. Steve Tambellini realizes what needs to be done. What other core members do the Oilers have to add Hall or Seguin to? Well, unfortunately as was brought out in the ?Worst Contracts? article, Shawn Horcoff isn?t going anywhere as he is locked in for five more years. But let?s look at the positives, which start with the 13th overall pick in 2001 Ales Hemsky. The playmaking winger has had 66 or more points in three of the last four seasons and had 22 points in 22 games this year before season-ending shoulder surgery. Hemsky will only be 27-years-old at the start of next season, so if he can return healthy that gives Edmonton another bona fide top-6 forward. And after a tumultuous first two seasons in Edmonton (84 total points), 27-year-old Dustin Penner has quietly been the team?s best player this season with 27 goals, 28 assists and 55 points. Andrew Cogliano, a late first round pick in 2005, is leaving everyone scratching their heads and cannot be counted on as a key piece for the future; after 18 goals and 45 points as a rookie, his production has declined each of the last two seasons. One guy that should be counted on to produce for years to come is former 6th overall pick, 20-year-old Sam Gagner. The speedy center had 49 points as a rookie, 41 last year and has 41 this year but has played better defensively than he did previously. They also acquired 27-year-old Ryan Whitney at the trade deadline, which could prove to be an underrated move as he could provide the leadership and balance on the back end that every team requires. In the pipeline yet to impact the NHL roster is a bruising defenseman ? 6?3? Alex Plante. But he really is there only viable blue-line prospect, which could be why they want to acquire the 3rd pick this year. 2008 1st round pick, and Canadian World Juniors hero, Jordan Eberle (22nd overall) and 2009 1st round pick Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson (10th pick) hope to break camp with the Oilers next season, giving the fans something to look forward to as both are potentially exciting offensive players. The one area that may hurt the Oilers is the second aspect of rebuilding a franchise ? free agent signings. For a team to acquire a free agent, players have to want to play for your team. Unfortunately, that has not been the case of late. It all began with Chris Pronger requesting a trade just weeks after leading the team to the Cup Finals due to personal reasons (personal = marital). The myth of the Oilers being a destination of purgatory was removed slightly by the free agent signings of Penner and All-Star Sheldon Souray ? but even Souray provided a list of teams that he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause for. The situation came to a head just before this season started when then-Senator Dany Heatley publicly declined to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a trade between Edmonton and Ottawa. If good players do not want to play for your organization, it is difficult to build a winning culture. However, that could all change with some good fortunes in the draft and in the development of their young players. Young, talented teams are exciting and usually become fairy tale-type stories around the league and in the media (think Tampa Bay Rays, Colorado Rockies in MLB; Chicago Blackhawks last year and the Phoenix Coyotes this year in the NHL). Players are hockey fans too, and they take notice of these things as much as fans and the media do. If something exciting is happening, they want to be a part of it. Oilers fans everywhere can only hope that good fortune shines on them soon, and they strike it rich this offseason. Nick can be reached at nickobergan@hotmail.com or on twitter at @nickobergan