Constructive Criticism of Peter Chiarelli

[LTIR]

Oiler fans don't deserve McDavid

They'll lay their life on the lone to defend Kris Russell and then get the knifes out for Draisaitl and McDavid. Was exact same way with Hall. To boo Hall is just a perfect example

boo hoo... greater powers should take McDavid away then? Oilers fans can boo and cheer whoever they want.. The team that gets shut out by a bottom dweller deserves the boos.
If you saw the playoffs last year you would know that Oilers fans cheer the loudest as well...

 

[Drivesaitl]

Oiler fans don't deserve McDavid

They'll lay their life on the lone to defend Kris Russell and then get the knifes out for Draisaitl and McDavid. Was exact same way with Hall. To boo Hall is just a perfect example

Have to agree with some of this. not that the fans don't deserve a McD, Oiler STH ticket buyers are the absolute best. The trouble is they are selling off most of their games and are not the ones in attendance. I was dissapointed with the Booing of Taylor Hall. he did nothing but give his best for this org and never asked for trade, never wanted to be gone.

But what has occurred is a lot of neophytes go to games now. They hear a Crosby or OV being boe'ed in a rink or hear that on their NHL17 or whatever and just think its how it always goes. Without thinking that there should be a reason you should boo a player, or not, or even offer polite applause when they score. in what was a nice backhand snipe.

No, now the cheers are reserved for when Gryba tries to take Halls head off or Kassian tries to fight him last season. its a bit too dark...

Oiler fans used to be gracious in support for returning stars. Even some had for Ryan Smyth when he played for the AV's. But that seems gone now replaced with some notion that you should just boo just because.

Personally I thank Taylor Hall for making the worse ever era of Oilers hockey at least something worth watching. Most nights he was one of the very few reasons to watch.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Sensationalism at its best. Guy trying to make it sound like all Oiler fans have turned on him...lol

This board is on Talbot right now as we speak. Don't underestimate that it will occur. In fact its fairly inevitable here.

To me around 5 players on this club are beyond reproach. They are McD, Drai, Talbot, Maroon, Larsson. Because they have busted their ass being the best possible players they can be. Nuge if he keeps it up will join that limited pantheon.

imo the rest can be appraised good and bad.

 

[FlameChampion]

Not sure what to think of Chiarelli. Coming into the season I was a fan of his. I think its hard and its a bit unfair to judge especially from hindsight when things arent going well.

You look at the team now and theres certainly holes in it. I still think the team is better than the record indicates.

Hes won some trades, hes lost some trades. I like Larsson better than Hall but whether he could of gotten more, I dunno. The Strome for Eberle trade doesnt really bother me because I think Eberle needed to move on and I dont think he is or was going to be effective here and I dont think he has/had much trade value. The Reinhart trade was completely awful and is his worst trade to date imo. But he made some good trades for Talbot, Maroon etc so I dont really have any ill feelings towards him regarding trades. He should avoid Garth Snow and just work on smaller value trades.

Free Agents, I think hasnt been kind to him. The Lucic deal is simply too long, but I have no doubt that the Oilers will get out of it somehow when they need to. Teams do this all the time. I sort of understand the Russell signing, he was playing top 4 minutes and they paid him to play top 4 minutes. Personally think the contract is too long but I think they will be able to get out of it when they want. Sekera is a good defenseman but think his contract is too long, but they desperately needed defense when they signed him so I am not going to complain too much. I think hes been pretty good regarding college FA's, so I will give him kudos there. But he has not been able to get any cheap veterans on good contracts, which hurts this team.

I think his drafting has been pretty good, much better than his predecessors but its really too early to know.

Looking at the team now, theres obviously some holes. They arent fast enough on the wings. He thought that Cagguila, Slepshev, Khaira, Jokinen, etc would be good enough and they simply havent been. Chiarelli should be blamed for not having more depth in place but I dont think he forsaw the team struggling this much. He thought that the team would be playing well, and that he would be able to assess the team and then bring in some talent/depth to make the team stronger around the deadline. I think this is pretty reasonable logic, so I find it hard to fault him too much. Also the Oilers not having a strong prospect system to bring in players hurts this team. They have no Guentzels or Shearys that were drafted several years ago to plug into the lineup. But thats not really on him, thats on the previous managements drafting system. Though I do think he made a mistake by not bringing in someone short term to replace Sekera. That was a big loss from the beginning and everyone knew it. This team needs more shooters, there are too many pass mentality players and this is another issue which Chiarelli did not address.

I know some people disagree but I think Chiarelli has given the coach enough pieces for the team to be better than it is. The team may not be a contender like the media predicted but it is a playoff team in my opinion. I do think that some of he problems on this team come are more from the way the players are playing and the coaching is coaching. The special teams are awful, and I pin that more on the coaching staff, I do not believe that the PK is where it is because they no longer have Pouillot and Hendricks. The are too many players, who are playing with little to no intensity. I dont like some of the line adjustments TM has or hasnt made.

But I am not sure what Chiarelli should do next. Something needs to change for this team. And based on their current record, no ones going to help him out. This sucks.

 

[StevenF1919]

Oiler fans don't deserve McDavid

They'll lay their life on the lone to defend Kris Russell and then get the knifes out for Draisaitl and McDavid. Was exact same way with Hall. To boo Hall is just a perfect example

It amazes me how this fanbase can so consistently run stars out of town and yet trumpet mediocre role players like they're the second coming of Gretzky.

 

[booyakasha]

It amazes me how this fanbase can so consistently run stars out of town and yet trumpet mediocre role players like they're the second coming of Gretzky.

lunch bucket town.
I also think their is a great level of jealousy, and envy.

 

[Aceboogie]

It amazes me how this fanbase can so consistently run stars out of town and yet trumpet mediocre role players like they're the second coming of Gretzky.

It baffles me completely. I remember seeing the Hall/RNH criticism back in the day. The two were playing infront of friggen Theo Peckham and Andy Sutton and Hall was still a PPG player. He literally did EVERYTHING. But because they team wasn't good, for some reason the best player got the heat. Then when Hall was moved everyone clung to some unfounded speculation Hall had an attitude issue. Just clinging to anything to justify their mystifying bias

Toronto and other big sports town are hard on their star players, but atleast they can spot a horrible GM or other horrible players from the beginning. In Edmonton its almost always 95% the best player(s) fault, 3% goaltending, 1% GM, 1% horrible other players.

Cant stop pondering what would have happened if we got a good GM in 2015. Mcdavid (well the #1 pick), Draisaitl, Hall, Eberle, RNH, #15 overall pick in a stacked draft, high second round pick, Klefbom all as a starting point. Get Talbot (the obvious move to make), Sekera and a few other tweaks and you are laughing. Hell deal Hall away if you need, but atleast get back a good haul, even if its just Larsson + Zacha.

 

[Tyrolean]

Not sure what to think of Chiarelli. Coming into the season I was a fan of his. I think its hard and its a bit unfair to judge especially from hindsight when things arent going well.

You look at the team now and theres certainly holes in it. I still think the team is better than the record indicates.

Hes won some trades, hes lost some trades. I like Larsson better than Hall but whether he could of gotten more, I dunno. The Strome for Eberle trade doesnt really bother me because I think Eberle needed to move on and I dont think he is or was going to be effective here and I dont think he has/had much trade value. The Reinhart trade was completely awful and is his worst trade to date imo. But he made some good trades for Talbot, Maroon etc so I dont really have any ill feelings towards him regarding trades. He should avoid Garth Snow and just work on smaller value trades.

Free Agents, I think hasnt been kind to him. The Lucic deal is simply too long, but I have no doubt that the Oilers will get out of it somehow when they need to. Teams do this all the time. I sort of understand the Russell signing, he was playing top 4 minutes and they paid him to play top 4 minutes. Personally think the contract is too long but I think they will be able to get out of it when they want. Sekera is a good defenseman but think his contract is too long, but they desperately needed defense when they signed him so I am not going to complain too much. I think hes been pretty good regarding college FA's, so I will give him kudos there. But he has not been able to get any cheap veterans on good contracts, which hurts this team.

I think his drafting has been pretty good, much better than his predecessors but its really too early to know.

Looking at the team now, theres obviously some holes. They arent fast enough on the wings. He thought that Cagguila, Slepshev, Khaira, Jokinen, etc would be good enough and they simply havent been. Chiarelli should be blamed for not having more depth in place but I dont think he forsaw the team struggling this much. He thought that the team would be playing well, and that he would be able to assess the team and then bring in some talent/depth to make the team stronger around the deadline. I think this is pretty reasonable logic, so I find it hard to fault him too much. Also the Oilers not having a strong prospect system to bring in players hurts this team. They have no Guentzels or Shearys that were drafted several years ago to plug into the lineup. But thats not really on him, thats on the previous managements drafting system. Though I do think he made a mistake by not bringing in someone short term to replace Sekera. That was a big loss from the beginning and everyone knew it. This team needs more shooters, there are too many pass mentality players and this is another issue which Chiarelli did not address.

I know some people disagree but I think Chiarelli has given the coach enough pieces for the team to be better than it is. The team may not be a contender like the media predicted but it is a playoff team in my opinion. I do think that some of he problems on this team come are more from the way the players are playing and the coaching is coaching. The special teams are awful, and I pin that more on the coaching staff, I do not believe that the PK is where it is because they no longer have Pouillot and Hendricks. The are too many players, who are playing with little to no intensity. I dont like some of the line adjustments TM has or hasnt made.

But I am not sure what Chiarelli should do next. Something needs to change for this team. And based on their current record, no ones going to help him out. This sucks.

Chis made a lot of other mistakes. Not being able to sign Versteeg, Pitlick, giving away Davidson for useless Desjarnais. Poo Party is shaping up to be a bust.

 

[Soundwave]

It baffles me completely. I remember seeing the Hall/RNH criticism back in the day. The two were playing infront of friggen Theo Peckham and Andy Sutton and Hall was still a PPG player. He literally did EVERYTHING. But because they team wasn't good, for some reason the best player got the heat. Then when Hall was moved everyone clung to some unfounded speculation Hall had an attitude issue. Just clinging to anything to justify their mystifying bias

Toronto and other big sports town are hard on their star players, but atleast they can spot a horrible GM or other horrible players from the beginning. In Edmonton its almost always 95% the best player(s) fault, 3% goaltending, 1% GM, 1% horrible other players.

Cant stop pondering what would have happened if we got a good GM in 2015. Mcdavid (well the #1 pick), Draisaitl, Hall, Eberle, RNH, #15 overall pick in a stacked draft, high second round pick, Klefbom all as a starting point. Get Talbot (the obvious move to make), Sekera and a few other tweaks and you are laughing. Hell deal Hall away if you need, but atleast get back a good haul, even if its just Larsson + Zacha.

Problem with dealing Hall is you are now gambling that Eberle/RNH can replace him and drive a line and unfortunately they really can't. They are auxiliary players and so is Lucic.

Without Hall your offensive depth starts to deplete rapidly. As tempting as Larsson is, it's a risk not worth taking.

Unless the Oilers had a Phil Kessel or someone like that to replace Hall you can't trade him.

 

[redgrant]

Says a lot about chairelli his best trade was when he literally did nothing one time.

"I'm gonna offer sheet kessel"

"ok"

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Problem with dealing Hall is you are now gambling that Eberle/RNH can replace him and drive a line and unfortunately they really can't. They are auxiliary players and so is Lucic.

Without Hall your offensive depth starts to deplete rapidly. As tempting as Larsson is, it's a risk not worth taking.

Unless the Oilers had a Phil Kessel or someone like that to replace Hall you can't trade him.

no, they're hoping Draisaitl can be that guy

 

[Soundwave]

no, they're hoping Draisaitl can be that guy

You are still gambling heavily on Eberle in that scenario because he then has to play RW with McDavid. It was a bad gamble, you don't have the luxury of trading Taylor Hall.

 

[Chet Manley]

People keep saying this crap over and over. You have no idea if the team had any interest in keeping Hall. In fact, like literally the only fact, he was spend on the trade market. No should'a traded RNH instead. The only real fact about RHN is the the team wanted and still wants him on it. My proof? He is still on the team.

This pining for Hall is nauseating. Is it fun conversation? Is it a debate point of some kind? Is Larsson not an excellent defenceman on this team? Seriously don't get it.

 

[Soundwave]

People keep saying this crap over and over. You have no idea if the team had any interest in keeping Hall. In fact, like literally the only fact, he was spend on the trade market. No should'a traded RNH instead. The only real fact about RHN is the the team wanted and still wants him on it. My proof? He is still on the team.

This pining for Hall is nauseating. Is it fun conversation? Is it a debate point of some kind? Is Larsson not an excellent defenceman on this team? Seriously don't get it.

It's kind of the GM's job to know who to keep and who to let go.

And people are pining for Hall because somehow, unbelievably, Chiarelli has managed to assemble the lowest scoring team in the NHL WITH Connor McDavid on it.

That is almost an incredible feat in and of itself.

 

[Chet Manley]

It's kind of the GM's job to know who to keep and who to let go.

And people are pining for Hall because somehow, unbelievably, Chiarelli has managed to assemble the lowest scoring team in the NHL WITH Connor McDavid on it.

That is almost an incredible feat in and of itself.

So no help on defence. No going out and adding a top pairing defenceman. Allow the giant elephant in the room to turn 11 and start noticing girls. Good luck with that.

 

[Soundwave]

So no help on defence. No going out and adding a top pairing defenceman. Allow the giant elephant in the room to turn 11 and start noticing girls. Good luck with that.

Or just wait a little bit, add back Klefbom and Russell which would've improved the D quite a bit as is, draft a guy like Sergachev and not mortgage the future.

The whole philosophy of "it's OK to lose every big trade I make" is quite frankly just freaking stupid to begin with. He trades Hall and admits he gave up the better player. Trades Seguin says the same thing. Trades Eberle, says the same thing. Dude is a moron if he thought he could keep doing that and not have any consequences for it.

 

[Chet Manley]

Constructive Criticism?

I like the intent of the moves he has made as far as to what was traded. Was almost praying that he could bundle those 2 picks with something to help the team immediately or at least sooner as the time for magic beans was way past over. Sound logic.... bad target in Reinhart. Move Eberle proactively for cap space is reasonable... bad target in Strome. Hall for Larsson thumbs up, but still not sure if it was the best of target at the time. Perfect world would have allowed Eberle a chance to play out of whatever mess his game was last season, but totally understand. Really confused as to what the org was thinking when deciding on the players to pursue.

UFAs rarely outplay their contracts and that's just the way it is. People on the open market get max dollars based on previous accomplishments and the game is moving towards speed. So either live with some overpayments or don't sign UFAs. Loved Sekra last year and thought he was a large part of the turn around. Lucic is painfully slow but has his moments in making the team harder to play against and is hopefully a solid vet in the room. I probably like Russel more than most just because he can skate and while not perfect is past being an inconsistent young d. Too much money and term for all, just like every UFA. Biggest worry is that players slow down, so picking quick skating ones that don't completely rely on it(one trick) seems the best bet. Sekra and Russel fit that, Lucic doesn't.

The unredeemable? Don't go into a season with a young team and gigantic holes. It was too much to expect linear progression to fill them. Nurse, Benning, and even Klefbom aren't experienced enough to ignore a possible regression. Hell even Draisaitl wasn't a guarantee to match a superb season at ~190 GP. (yeah I know he's awesome)

 

[Chet Manley]

Or just wait a little bit, add back Klefbom and Russell which would've improved the D quite a bit as is, draft a guy like Sergachev and not mortgage the future.

The whole philosophy of "it's OK to lose a every big trade I make" is quite frankly just freaking stupid to begin with. Dude is a moron if he thought he could keep doing that and not have any consequences for it.

You have no idea why the team didn't want Hall anymore, players aren't robots on ice with a blue book value. No idea if they want(ed) player ??? gone instead for help or how that make believe scenario would of panned out. Even less of an idea what going into last season with that D again would have resulted in. (Russell wasn't signed until way after the trade) And drafting the solution? Madness after a decade of not trying to ice an NHL quality defence. Larsson has actually turned out to be a core player on this team going forward, addressing a super long need. Could be better options but zero knowledge if those options would have become Oilers.

I'll be a hypocrite and add some unfounded speculation... the fancy boy clique needed to die. That culture over. One of Hall or Eberle had to go for something more healthy to take it's place after so many years of sucking and fancy boys with "support" players. It happened before either of them arrived, telling players that knew nothing other than being ultra competitive their entire lives that the team will lose on purpose for years, manage it the best you can, and hey your entire purpose is to mentor these boys now. Has there ever been a pro team in history that so blatantly designed failure for the sake of failure? As a competitive person myself, it's soul sucking to know that someone is designing your failure for a return you'll never participate in. I've been through it, you either accept that it's ok to fail for the first time in your life or get the hell out ASAP. Soul crushing I tell ya.

 

[redgrant]

Does he still have that stupid mustache?

 

[redgrant]

Does anyone know whats the story with the Gareth Snow/Islanders and why they have it out so bad for Chiarelli?

Let me explain.

1. Okay first the most lopsided trade in recent memory for this team. Two first round draft picks, not for a roster player but a guy that cant crack a non-playoff teams garbage defense.

2. Next summer Chiarelli learns his lesson and desperately trying to acquire an actual NHL defenseman. He offers TAYLOR HALL to teams. Islander are interested....but if you want Hamonic its Hall PLUS MORE. Hall straight up doesnt equal Hamonic.

In case anyone forgot.
http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/h...nton-oilers-new-york-islanders-travis-hamonic

3. Okay, okay lets all calm down. Clear misunderstanding. Islanders have been treating Chiarelli very fairly they need our help this time. Just like we needed help with a RHD man last year.

So now the Islanders are bend over a barrel desperate for a skilled winger to play with Tavares. Tavares wont even sign an extension there til he sees steps are being taken to make the team win. Everyone and their grandmother knows they need a highly skilled winger.

At the same time Edmonton down a puck moving d man. Eberle for Hamonic or even Eberle plus some sort of draft pick package would make sense no?

How about this...the team that is desperate a skilled winger acquires Eberle for Strome. LOL they dont even give some late round pick along with Strome.

Oh and that Hamonic guy...you know the one that 1 year ago Taylor Hall couldnt get straight bloody up? Yeah hes now on the Flames for friggin draft picks.

WTF gives.

 

[Drivesaitl]

The points are valid but its not about "having it in for Chia" as much as just knowing he gets dialed in, tunnel vision, and will make the deal he sought out to do fairly regardless of the cost or return. Its just how he operates. As someone else said he's more concerned with filling what he perceives as holes than he is about getting value in return. Thus he seems entirely unaware of how much a trade could be helping another club and how much leverage their could be in that deal. He needs to get more coming back in deals but doesn't. He just doesn't seem to be someone who negotiates well. Even contractually. He seems more about inking the deal. Whatever deal it is.

This is just a thought. Would anybody in the org have told him to dial it down this offseason or did he tell himself that. After a bold offseason before it was pretty quiet. More about expediting players and contracts rather than getting return and even much more capspace than he required. Did he panic with the McD and Drai deals and needing X amount of space?

we're into another development year and too many NHL tweeners in the lineup.

 

[THall4]

I agree with #1...worst trade he made, loathed is then and it looks worse now...

NYI got a significantly better return for Hamonic with the draft picks...no chance they take Ebs for Hamonic

the Russell extension was 2 years too long

This

They got a collection of picks AND Eberle for Hamonic and Strome...NYI made out like bandits..Flames got a decent #4 RHD who would've helped the Oilers...Islanders got a top 6 fwd + 2x 2nds to play with..Oilers got whatever the **** Ryan Strome is

 

[THall4]

boo hoo... greater powers should take McDavid away then? Oilers fans can boo and cheer whoever they want.. The team that gets shut out by a bottom dweller deserves the boos.
If you saw the playoffs last year you would know that Oilers fans cheer the loudest as well...

100%.

Oilers fans cheered loud and proud when Hall came back for his first game. He bad mouthed the team all year long...why the hell should any of us cheer for him when he comes back?

 

[North]

The current record I think should be worn by Chiarelli and McLellan.

Life without Sekera was always going to be difficult but we needed a better plan than forcing Benning into minutes he wasn't ready for and then playing Gryba like a regular before starting to swap him out with Auvitu.

The only problem was who do you get that can fill Sekera's shoes in the short term. We needed somebody cheap and who wouldn't be expensive beyond this season.

The other problem is the Eberle trade. This was always going to be a tough deal because Eberle's value was shot due to Eberle's play. He was better defensively last year, but worse offensively and carries a huge price tag. Was Strome the best we could do? Probably.

I think in a way Eberle has had it easier in NY than Strome has had it in Edmonton. Eberle has had a clearly defined role on the Islanders whereas Strome has bounced around the lineup in different spots. He hasn't had a chance to get comfortable in one spot. That's on McLellan.

There's more I could say about McLellan but this is not the thread.

I also do think the players bear some responsibility for the record. Everybody should be taking a look in the mirror.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Interesting Chia is on the road trip. Is he getting worried or is this penitence to watch all the players that shoulda been here? Maybe we could lose him in NJ and never find him again.