I'm the lowly Oilers writer, so I'll stick to my team of choice for most of this blog. But before I talk Oilers, just let me say, that Kings/Blues series is an absolute war and might be the best playoff series I've seen in years. I'd say the Stanley Cup winner is going to come from this series, but the rate it's going, there won't be anything left after Game 7. Two teams pounded into a little pile of fine dust.

So, are the Canucks the first team eliminated from the playoffs tonight? I'm pretty sure they will be. And what happens then? A house-cleaning? New GM? New Head Coach? Plenty of people think so. I'm not so sure.

There has been bad energy surrounding this team all season. It goes back to the Luongo situation over the summer. I think management didn't fully comprehend what a massive distraction not dealing Luongo would cause. We're all fairly aware that the Canucks and Oilers almost made a deal over the summer? For those of you who haven't heard the story, the Oilers asked about Luongo, but the Canucks wanted two of the superkids back in return. After the laughter died down, the Oilers declined. From the Oilers point-of-view, Luongo has a bad contract and they insisted sending a bad deal back (think Horcoff) as part of the trade. Further to this, I don't think the Oil would move anyone named Hall, Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins, Klefbom, Schultz or Yakupov. Well, maybe Yakupov over the summer, but their feelings on Yaks has changed over the year.

Here, I'll tell you that story in case you haven't heard it. The Oilers organization was actually more keen on drafting Ryan Murray than Yakupov. Yakupov clearly has the greater potential, but they were worried about his attitude. He's a showman, and they were concerned he could be cocky and hard to management inside the room. Oilers fans actually made the call. Everyone was going bananas over Yakupov, so Daryl Katz stepped in and told Oilers management how to vote. This is all urban legend, of course. Only Katz and Lowe know for sure what occurred.

A year later and Oilers management are thrilled with all aspects of Yakupov. He's turned out to be very serious and focused about playing well. It seemed like he improved game-to-game. He actually could be most compared to Taylor Hall on the team. He drives the net, throws hits, hates losing, makes things happen. His level of compete is off the charts, and he adores the fans and the city. If he isn't already the most popular Oilers player, he will be in a season or two. Of course, there are prudish old-school media guys who don't like his flashiness, but these are the same people who refuse to recognize that professional hockey is just another form of entertainment, and the people buying the tickets want to be entertained.

Someone asked me on Twitter the other day, if I had to list the Oilers superkids in terms of their importance...their "untouchability" so to speak, how would I rank them. I hate trying to answer this question because I wouldn't trade any of these players. From most untouchable to least...

1. Taylor Hall - Hall is the guy you build the entire team around. Yes, he has a temper and sometimes completely loses his cool. Would you rather he sleepwalk through games? Hall not only gets mad at the opposition when he loses, he also gives it to his own team. You need to put a "C" on him, because that's the guy you want in the dressing room holding everyone's feet to the fire. Coaches can't act that way anymore...the modern NHL coach is a purely positive motivator. But having a captain who is old-school, brutalizing his teammates when they aren't giving 110 is great. Aside from his leadership and work ethic, Hall is a point-per-game player now. He's brilliant on every conceivable level.

2. Nail Yakupov - Yakupov's value will eventually come down to a Steven Stamkos-level ability to score. His shot is all sorts of ridiculous. Much to everyone's surprise, he cares about defense and he throws hits. Whereas Hall is captain material; the type of guy who will kick players in the ass to get them going, Yakupov motivates his team with his energy and enthusiasm. You just don't deal a guy with his skill set away.

3. Jordan Eberle - People who are looking at Eberle's stats this season need to keep in mind he played half the year with a broken hand. His level of compete rivals Hall and Yakupov. Hall doesn't try to play the "nice guy" role...that's more Eberle. Much like Kevin Lowe was the glue that held the 80's Oilers together, Eberle is the glue guy with this team. He has sweet, sweet hands and everyone loves him.

4. Justin Schultz - Some people point to his plus/minus rating and suggests he takes too many risks out there. Perhaps occasionally. Keep in mind he was a rookie defenseman playing top-pairing minutes on a horrible NHL team. I suspect Schultz will continue to develop, becoming better both offensively and defensively. With some of the offensive weapons the Oilers have, it's possible Schultz will lead the league in defensive scoring a few times during his career.

5. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Nuge is perhaps the most skilled all-around player out of the six, but there's one thing that has always concerned me about him: His build. The NHL teams that succeed now are huge, and I worry that Nugent-Hopkins will have difficulty battling through the opposition. He's super-slick, and a pick-pocket. As long as he can work in stealth mode, he's a huge part of this team.

6. Oscar Klefbom - What makes Klefbom easier to live with moving is that he's still a bit of an unknown commodity. As a rookie next season, it's fair to assume Klefbom will play, at best, 3/4 minutes. It will take years to determine if he is merely good, or a rock star. The Oilers need him to be great, and that's what makes him an untouchable. Potential top pairing defenseman with size and a huge shot don't just grow on trees.

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