The Oilers would start off the season rather slowly, sitting with a 9–9–1 record after 19 games, but the club would get hot, going 21–9–7 in their next 37 games. As the trade deadline approached, the club did not have a clear number one goaltender, and they addressed this issue by trading their first-round draft pick in 2006 to the Minnesota Wild for Dwayne Roloson. Edmonton would also add former Calder Memorial Trophy winner Sergei Samsonov to the club, sending Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny and a second-round draft pick (Milan Lucic) to the Boston Bruins to acquire him. The Oilers played mediocre hockey for the rest of the season, but nonetheless managed to finish in eighth place in the Western Conference and qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2003.