Two P's in the Oiler Pod

Edmonton has given notice the Northern Alberta city won't take a backseat to the country cousin's to the south when it comes to adding to arsenal.

With Chris Pronger and Michael Peca joining the Oil, those Battle of Alberta days are going to be a lot more entertaining in 2005-06. The Oilers have taken charge of the agenda and added some serious depth to their line up with the addition of the two P's.

Combine them with the young aggressive squad that they had prior to the lock out and the Oilers are certainly ready to challenge once again in not only the Western half of the NHL but perhaps for the big dance as well.

With two trades in 18 hours the Oilers suddenly find themselves the talk of a very busy day, the local Edmonton media celebrating the return of a challenging Oiler team one not satisfied with possibly making the playoffs, but one that seems to be positioning itself for a long run into May and maybe even June.

While losing Eric Brewer may be perceived as a steep price to pay, a chance to get the all star and trophy winner in Pronger could not be passed up by Kevin Lowe. But more importantly for Lowe it was a chance to send a message to the Oiler fans and the NHL at large that the Oilers are back and ready to do what it takes to build a winner. For Edmonton fans the start of the season on October 5th can't come soon enough, the icing on the cake though will be that very first All Alberta matchup October 20th, for Oiler fans that will be be the opening shot of a long and exciting season of match ups.