It’s game 82 of the season for both Calgary and Edmonton tonight, and neither team has much to play for. Neither team can improve their place in the standings with a win tonight. After Vancouver defeated Colorado this afternoon, the Flames know they’re going to finish in fifth in the Western Conference and play the fourth-place Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs. Edmonton is going to finish in 11th place, on the outside looking in. Of the two teams, Calgary has more to play for. They’ve had a subpar second half to the season and have run out of time to right the ship. A win tonight would definitely help their confidence.

I can’t decide who I’d rather have win this game. As a Canucks fan, I always like to see Calgary lose. And I have to admit I have a soft spot for the young guns in Chicago, so anything that would keep Calgary’s confidence low and improve Chicago’s chance of beating them is fine by me.

Despite this, I can’t really get behind cheering for Edmonton. Here’s why.

A team can win with an assortment of A- players if there is one A+ guy to be a difference-maker–in fact, Luongo’s Canucks are a great example of this, as are Ovechkin and the Capitals. Teams can also win with predominantly B or B+ players, so as long as they have a handful of A and A+ players to carry the load–take a look at Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

But Edmonton has assembled a team of B+ players and no real superstars. Hemsky, Horcoff, Kotalik, Penner, Souray, and Moreau are good players, but they aren’t franchise players. Dwayne Roloson has his moments, but he also has his moments.

The Oilers are banking on Sam Gagne and Andrew Cogliano growing up and turning into legitimate top-six forwards, and they’d like to see Dustin Penner score 65 points instead of a mere 37. That may happen next year. But even if it does, the Oilers will still only have a few A- players with a handful of B+ guys to supplement them. That’s not good enough, not without an A+ to hang the team on.

What Edmonton needs in order to become a contender is a franchise forward. Their defense is good enough–not fantastic, but good enough. But having two defensemen in their top four scorers is unacceptable. A Jarome Iginla or a Vincent Lecavalier would make Hemsky, Horcoff, and the rest seem a lot more valuable, and would give the Oilers a catalyst and a cornerstone, someone to look to when the game is on the line. Where’s that going to come from? I don’t know. It’s always preferable to draft stars or develop them internally, but a city like Edmonton can’t afford that much time–they have to keep their fans happy. That means a significant free agent signing, or maybe an off-season trade where the team has to give up some of their excess B+ guys.

Whatever route the Oilers take, they’re going to have lots of time to think about it.