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." Custom Manchester United Jerseys . 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Manchester United Jerseys .Tatjana Haenni, FIFAs head of womens competitions, told a FIFA Live Your Goals Tour news conference Friday that the artificial turf is being tested to make sure it meets standards.On Tuesday, the Ottawa Redblacks introduced Henry Burris as their newest quarterback, joining Thomas DeMarco and Kevin Glenn, who were picked up in the expansion draft. Last week, the Blue Bombers made a substantial multi-year offer to Burris to take over the starters role. In a telling move, the veteran pivot turned down the offer, choosing instead to join the expansion Redblacks, assuming he thinks they offer a better chance at immediate success. Do you agree? Are the Redblacks a better option than the Blue Bombers right now? Last season, the Blue Bombers struggled to a 3-15 season and replaced head coach Tim Burke with Mike OShea, the likeable special teams coordinator from the Toronto Argonauts. Marcel Bellefeuille is back as the offensive coordinator, a position he took over last August. Changes are happening in the Manitoba capital in hopes of turning things around in short order. And in a league the size of the CFL, teams have gone from worst to competitive on many occasions so the Blue Bombers could very well make the playoffs as early as next season. Expansion teams rarely compete for a playoff spot In Ottawa, winning is not expected to come quickly. With a roster made up of players who were left exposed by existing teams in the expansion draft, itt will take some time to build a successful organization.dddddddddddd Thats what makes this move surprising. At 38 years of age, Burris window to win is small and yet, he decided the Redblacks offered a better opportunity than the Blue Bombers. Secondly, by making the offer to Burris after his release from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Blue Bombers made it clear who their starting quarterback would be in Week 1. There would be competition in training camp but the job would be his to lose. The situation is not so clear cut in the nations capital. Burris will have fellow veteran Glenn, who likely thought he had the inside track on the starters role before Tuesdays move, and De Marco, likely the quarterback of the future, to contend with. While the early nod may go to Burris, the other two candidates bring their own talents to the table and will be gunning for that top job. Many factors go into making the kind of decision Burris made on Tuesday and winning is usually at or near the top of the list for professional athletes. Taking everything into consideration, Burris decided Ottawa was a better fit than Winnipeg. Do you agree? Which team do you think offers the best opportunity to win now: Redblacks or Blue Bombers? As always, its Your! Call. 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