Oilers counting on more from Penner
EDMONTON — When it comes to Dustin Penner of the Edmonton Oilers, bigger isn’t necessarily better.
“Big” was the word of the day when Penner reported to training camp a year ago. He made big headlines when he left the Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks for a US$21.25-million offer sheet with Edmonton.
With Penner coming off a 29-goal season, the expectations of fans were as overblown as the 10-fold increase in his salary.
Then, there was Penner himself.
He weighed 255 pounds when camp began and was thrust into first-line minutes with Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky by coach Craig MacTavish.
And, while Penner overcame a slow start to finish with a team-leading 23 goals, he was deemed a big disappointment by some critics.
Fast forward to now, and Penner is eight pounds lighter, a year removed from the spotlight and hoping third line’s the charm with Ethan Moreau and Fernando Pisani.
He’s no big deal.
“It’s definitely a different feeling coming back this year,” Penner said. “I think a lot of it last year could be attributed to coming to a new team and leaving a Stanley Cup team. Then, you tack on the new contract.
“There were a lot of elements I had to adjust to and deal with. At least now, I know what to expect. I feel more comfortable.”
Penner, who turns 26 on Sunday, struggled making the transition from third-liner with Anaheim to top-line duty. His numbers — 23-24-47 and a minus-12 — provided an uncomfortable juxtaposition with his place as the team’s highest-paid forward at $4.25 million.
With a short off-season because of the Stanley Cup run, Penner’s conditioning wasn’t up to par. That, plus ice time that averaged 17:12 a game, was a lethal combination early. He scored just four goals in his first 26 games.
“This summer was a big difference and a welcome change,” said Penner of having four months instead of two to prepare for camp.
“The way my seasons had been going before I was here, I’d been in playoffs pretty much every year. This was the longest off-season I can remember.”
MacTavish is betting moving Penner from left wing to the right side with Moreau and Pisani will be a case of less-is-more.
It’s reasonable argument, considering during his 29-goal season, Penner averaged 13:59 of ice time per game.
“He can be productive on less minutes,” MacTavish said.
“Normally, it would be a real step back for a guy who played all those minutes on the first line and got first-line power play and all that stuff, but Dustin looks at himself as more of a mucker.
“I’m expecting, based on where he’s playing, the goals will drop off but his effectiveness will increase. His overall game will be better. He’ll be a bigger contributor than he was last year.”
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