The BETTER-natured, the sooner undone.

Penner seems to be growing into his role as a first-line winger, while the first-round draft pick Edmonton gave up to get him will only be 12th overall, not a lottery pick, as the Ducks GM so gleefully predicted.

Its just so typical of how people jump to conclusions, Lowe told the Edmonton Sun. Theres not much you can say at the time except, well, lets wait and see. But I dont get any comfort out of this now because the damage is done — people have had their moment in terms of criticism. But that comes with the territory; you cant do much about it.

Lowe says a deal that looks pretty good right now will only look better as time goes on.

Hes still young enough to keep getting better, Lowe said. A potential 25-goal scorer for five years was probably worth a 12th pick, given all the young players that we had.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT: The highlight of the season turned out to be the last quarter when the Oilers, in 14th place and left for dead, put together a 13-4-1 run that wiped out a 13-point deficit and pulled them briefly into a share of eighth place. The surge, led mostly by rookies, represented a massive step forward from last season, when the Oilers, in almost exactly the same situation, finished 2-17-1.

TURNING POINT: The season started tailing off early on when the first of the veterans started getting injured. By seasons end the Oilers shattered the club record for man games lost to injury, a whopping 346. On the bright side, those injuries opened the door for a crop of rookies who changed the face and the future of the team with their dazzling speed and skill.

NOTES, QUOTES

—Oilers GM Kevin Lowe says the rumored $5 million starting point from Joni Pitkanens camp in their contract negotiations with Edmonton isnt accurate. He says the figure is a year old, from brief conversations last summer, before they signed him to a one-year deal worth $2.4 million. The two sides havent even started talking yet on a new deal.

—Unrestricted free agent Curtis Glencross upped his market value after scoring 15 goals and tying for the team lead in plus-minus , but he still hasnt struck a new contract with the Oilers. Glencross wants a deal that offers him long-term security while the Oilers are reluctant to commit big money to a player who might have been a one-year wonder. But Glencross wants to stay in Edmonton and Edmonton wants Glencross to remain an Oiler, so theyll likely agree on a one-year deal, giving him a chance to prove that last season was no fluke.

—Assistant coach Rob Daum completed his one-year contract and will not be behind the bench again next season, but the club expressed interest in keeping him on in another capacity. Hes earned my respect in the organization, all of our respect, said GM Kevin Lowe. Hes a good hockey guy. Im just pondering what were going to get him to do. Hes also thinking about his options, too.

QUOTE TO NOTE: No, thats craziness, total craziness. One minute hes going to be president, the next minute hes going to be assistant general manager. I dont know who started that, but theres nothing to it whatsoever. — GM Kevin Lowe, on persistent rumors that Craig Simpson will be leaving Hockey Night in Canada to take a management job with the Oilers.

ROSTER REPORT

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Ales Hemsky, night in and night out, was their best, most consistent and most productive player. He wasnt just a standout player himself, he made everyone he played with better, too. Even after losing his first-line center and being saddled with third-line checking center Jarret Stoll, he still put up team-leading numbers.

MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: Jarret Stoll started the season as their second-line center, and by the end of the year his role had been reduced to plumber and penalty killer. He didnt produce 5-on-5 and finished with a gargantuan minus-23 rating.

FREE AGENT FOCUS: The Oilers only have two unrestricted free agents and both of them want to stay, so retaining their services shouldnt be a problem. GM Kevin Lowe locked up a few of his restricted free agents early in the off-season, but still has Joni Pitkanen and Jarret Stoll to deal with.

PLAYER NOTES:

—D Joni Pitkanen left the World Championships amid some controversy. He was complaining of a sore knee while Finnish coach Doug Sheddon blamed it on lack of commitment. Either way, they parted ways on less than friendly terms.

—G Mathieu Garon is Canadas third stringer at the World Championships and isnt expected to get in any games. Thats fine by him; this is his first experience wearing the national teams colors and hes happy to be along for the ride.