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To watch a playoff game in Edmonton is to understand what true grandeur the NHL can reach, even in 2003.

To walk home from another Oilers playoff loss is to understand what a true frustration the NHL has become, especially in 2003.

No team underscores the problems of the league better than Edmonton. The fans are hungry for a winner. They support their team and its wide-open style of play. They make a playoff game a fist-pumping, lung-ripping rave of an event. And yet they go home every year with dashed dreams and promises of wait until next year.

PROJECTED CONFERENCE FINISH. . . 11th

STRENGTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tradition. The Oilers are better than a lot of the other also-rans because they simply believe they should be. There's something to playing in that old arena that brings out the best in players. WEAKNESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Money, money, money. You can't go a year without some contract dispute mucking things up. This year it's Mike Comrie, who appears destined to join Anson Carter and Doug Weight and Bill Guerin and Curtis Joseph and ... BEST OFFSEASON MOVE . . . . . . . . . . . Making sure another good crop of kids was ready to go. Hey Jarret Stoll, how do you feel about that No. 1 center spot? WORST OFFSEASON MOVE . . . . . . . . . Comrie is becoming exceedingly tiresome with his poor little rich boy antics. You kind of have to back the Oilers on that one. It would have been nice to keep Todd Marchant (Columbus), though. It would have given them more leverage with Comrie. PLAYER TO WATCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Oilers will find ways to score goals. The question is will Tommy Salo find ways to stop them. He is a talented netminder, but he's wearing down from the pressure of playing in Edmonton. GM Kevin Lowe is known for pulling a trade out of his ear Could we see him jump into what at sometime will become a huge goaltender shuffle across the NHL? FANTASY FIX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Radek Dvorak. Still just 26 after eight seasons in the NHL, Dvorak is the veteran yin to second-year winger Ales Hemsky's yang. Dvorak has just one 30-goal season to his credit, but he scored four times in 12 games with the Oilers and could become a fantasy sleeper with the fresh start -- not to mention lovely home ice -- in Edmonton. -- Graham Hays AT A GLANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003-04: Schedule | Roster 2002-03: Schedule/Results | Stats

When next year comes, they have to go through the same old manure. First a player holds out, then there's the inevitable trade, then the run to the playoffs, then the crash at the feet of a team paying twice as much to its players.

The cycle just seems to spin and spin.

This year, Mike Comrie wants more money and heart-and-soul player Todd Marchant is playing in Columbus because he found the Oilers piggy bank was empty. Is that any different than it was with Doug Weight? Or the year before that, when it was Bill Guerin? The Oilers and their fans understand this is a ritual of fall.

But could this season's financial shenanigans be even more debilitating? San Jose and Chicago, Los Angeles and Calgary are pushing hard to improve. That could leave the Oilers a step back when it comes to making the top eight in the West. While the defense has improved, goalie Tommy Salo is getting older and more inconsistent. And while the youngsters get better, they also appear more clearly outmatched each season.

Watching a playoff game in Edmonton is indeed one of the league's great treasures. Let's just hope it doesn't become one of the league's true rarities.

The philosophy of the organization for years has been speed and skill, and this year's group is no different. Ales Hemsky is only 20 and ready for a breakout season. Jarret Stoll is built in the mold of Marchment, but might be expected to take more offensive responsibilities. Jani Rita and Raffi Torres add a little grit.

If Comrie is signed, the forward depth starts to look a little better as a No. 1 line of Smyth-Comrie-Hemsky and a second line of Brad Isbister-Mike York-Radek Dvorak would create problems for opposing coaches. It would also allow coach Craig MacTavish to keep the RPM line of Marty Reasoner, Fernando Pisani and Ethan Moreau together.

Even if Comrie doesn't return, the Oilers will probably get a decent forward in trade and can play Shawn Horcoff in the No. 1 slot for now.

The Oilers have generally succeeded on the power play, so last year's 14.5 percent success rate (ranking 19th) was disappointing. Look for the kids to give it a pick-me-up this year.

After jettisoning Janne Niinimaa, Tom Poti and Roman Hamrlik over the years, you would have thought the defense would have lost a little something. But what the current group lacks in skill, it makes up for in solid overall play. In fact, the blue line might be the best reflection of how MacTavish has affected the organization. He wants skill, sure, but he also wants a commitment to dependable play in his own end. GM Kevin Lowe has given him a group of players who can accomplish that.

Captain Jason Smith is one of the hardest hitters in the league and an unabashed warrior in front of the net. Eric Brewer offers size and skill, while Steve Staios has been a welcome addition and a calming veteran presence.

That leadership will be important for players like Alexei Semenov, a 6-foot-6 22-year-old who has loads of potential.

MacTavish was a former standout defensive forward, so you know ranking 20th on the penalty kill was disappointing to him. With Marchant gone, there will have to be a few new leaders who step on the PK.

Salo is talented, but he could be losing his mental edge. After blowing it in the 2002 Olympics during Sweden's loss to Belarus and not making the playoffs that spring, he came back with a disappointing regular season (29-27-8, 2.71 GAA and a .899 save percentage) and an inconsistent playoff. No goalie who made the postseason had a lower save percentage. Salo played marvelously against Dallas early in a first round series, but he faded at the end and was really a non-factor down the stretch.

The Oilers let go of Jussi Markannen and are going with Ty Conklin as the backup. That's probably a step back, but it's in line with what the Oilers have to do every season. Expect Conklin to be fine after some early season jitters.

Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com.