In an interview the other day, Pat Quinn mentioned that the responsibilities of this year's penalty kill would fall on Kelly Buchberger's shoulders as it did a year ago. Toss out everything I said in this post. Buchberger at the helm in front of the supposed whiz in Tom Renney is a puzzling decision, and one that could have some serious implications for the Oilers this year. Buchberger has no professional qualifications that indicate he can be a penalty kill coach in the NHL, yet two different coaches have no given him the reigns.
Not only is last year's penalty kill coach back, the penalty kill personnel are actually worse this year with the trade of Kyle Brodziak. After Shawn Horcoff, there are no reliable faceoff options on the team, especially in the defensive end. The saving grace here may be Renney. If the system has been laid in place by Renney and Buchberger is simply pushing pawns around the board, a top-half penalty kill may be a possibility. Put simply, the Oilers have no shot at the playoffs with Buchberger's 27th-ranked penalty kill in 2009-2010.