EDMONTON -- Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish feels optimistic about his teams future despite a last-place finish in the Western Conference standings. MacTavish gave his head coach a vote of confidence Tuesday and said while its hard to determine where the team is in its development stage, he feels most of the "heavy lifting" has been done. "Were closer to the end in my mind than we are to the beginning in terms of the development of this team," MacTavish said Tuesday at a season-ending media availability. Expectations were higher in Edmonton this season but the team struggled from the start and finished with a 29-44-9 record for 67 points, good for a 28th-place finish in the 30-team league. There were a few bright lights for the Oilers. Taylor Hall had a strong year with 80 points in 75 games and fellow forwards Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had productive campaigns. Defensive woes were a constant problem. The Oilers struggled on the blue-line and between the pipes, allowing a league-worst 270 goals. MacTavish has no plans to add anything "middle of the road" to the current defence core and feels the teams younger players can fill those positions. He does plan to target a high-end defenceman in the off-season. "We need a few pieces that can really move this thing along," said MacTavish. The GM added that Eakins -- who completed his first season as an NHL head coach -- has a bright future with the team. "Im convinced this guy is the right coach to lead us into much more successful times ... hes relentless," MacTavish said. Despite the foundation of young, talented offensive players, the Oilers managed only 203 goals. The goaltending situation was unsettled throughout the season as netminder Devan Dubnyk struggled in the starters role. Dubnyk was dealt to Nashville at the trade deadline and the Oilers acquired Ben Scrivens from Los Angeles. Scrivens and fellow mid-season acquisition Viktor Fasth posted decent numbers as Edmonton finished with a 14-13-3 mark over its last 30 games. MacTavish said there is plenty of work ahead and admitted the team did not live up to expectations. But he likes the young core and is confident improvement can be made. "Were building our team around this group," he said. "And you have to have pieces in that locker-room that you view as guys that are going to develop into winners and guys that are going to develop into superstars. "I feel strongly that we have a number of those pieces in there and those are the guys were going to build that team around. I want them to feel the ownership, I want them to feel the loyalty from myself and the coaching staff that we have the confidence in them to drive this team forward." Vapormax Off White Blancas . -- Sami Salo joked that as the shootout went on and on, one thing went through his mind: "Youve got to tie up your skates. Vapormax Baratas . This is the final meeting of the season between these teams.? The Capitals were 5-4 winners in a shootout Oct. http://www.vapormaxbaratas.com/. Players suspended during the season for a performance-enhancing drug violation will not be eligible for that years post-season. In addition, discipline will increase from 50 games to 80 for a first testing violation and from 100 games to a season-long 162 for a second. A third violation remains a lifetime ban. Vapormax Off White Negras . In an interview with La Presse this week, the five-time Stanley Cup champion and three-time NHL scoring leader specifically took aim at wingers Thomas Vanek and Max Pacioretty, saying they cant show up in a 7-4 win over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final and come up empty in Game 6. Nike Air Vapormax Flyknit 2 Rebajas . The club was unable to retain hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, who is bound for Atlanta. Seitzer replaces Greg Walker, who was assisted by Scott Fletcher this season as the Braves finished 79-83.DETROIT - Nicklas Lidstrom was the last person to speak at his Detroit Red Wings jersey-retirement ceremony. He might have spoken the least while perhaps saying the most, fittingly for a player who was subtly spectacular on the ice. Lidstrom was honoured Thursday night before Detroit hosted the Colorado Avalanche. A red banner — with his last name and number in white — was raised to the rafters. "Its not like winning a trophy for a successful season or playoff; its not winning an individual trophy," he said on a puck-shaped podium. "This is something different. This is all about being a Detroit Red Wing." The storied franchise previously retired six jerseys: Gordie Howes No. 9, Steve Yzermans No. 19, Ted Lindsays No. 7, Terry Sawchuks No. 1, Alex Delvecchios No. 10 and Sid Abels No. 12. But Lidstrom is the first defenceman to have his jersey retired by the Red Wings. Detroit drafted the Swede in the third round and between 1991 and 2012 he played in the most games (1,564) by someone who was on only one NHL team. "For the first couple of years, he didnt seem that great, but then you began to appreciate him," Delvecchio said. Lidstrom, with sound positioning and a strong shot, helped the Red Wings win four of their 11 Stanley Cups between 1997 and 2008. He won seven Norris Trophies as the NHLs best defenceman and trailed only Bobby Orrs record total of eight. "As much as we didnt like him when we were playing against each other, I had tons of respect for him," Colorado coach and former NHL goaltending great Patrick Roy said. Lidstrom became the first European-born captain to win a Stanley Cup in 2008, six years after being the first from Europe to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the leagues post-season MVP.dddddddddddd With his signature slap shot, he scored the gold-medal winning goal for Sweden against Finland at the 2006 Olympics. In a video tribute shown during a first-period timeout, Yzerman said Lidstrom was one of the games all-time greats. "You made our jobs so much easier," Yzerman said. Lidstrom retired after the 2011-12 season — his 20th with the Red Wings. He refused to settle for being merely a good defenceman in the league and turned down a chance to make about $6 million with a third straight one-year contract. "No regrets, but that doesnt mean I dont miss it," he said. "I miss playing, but I never had any urge to get back to being on the ice and playing in a game." With his wife and their four hockey-playing boys, he is living back home in Sweden and enjoying a simple life. "Whats been so relaxing about it is that I get weekends off," Lidstrom said. "I never had any weekends off that I can remember since I was a teenager." When Lidstrom was 21 and going into his first NHL season, he was asked what number he wanted to wear if he made the team. Not knowing much about the Red Wings other than Yzerman being their captain, Lidstrom asked for No. 9 — a number that had been retired for nearly 20 years to honour Howe. "Kid, that just aint going to happen," Lidstrom recalled being told. Lidstrom was later given a winged-wheel jersey with another single digit. "No. 5 was handed to me," he said with a grin. ' ' '