Speculation: Pinder: April 9th Oilers will Change Gm or Coach

[Soundwave]

We don't need super genius as GM.

You need someone who isn't as timid, slow as Tambellini but isn't as stupid in trading and contract negotiations and the riverboat gambler that Chiarelli is. There has to be several decent, reasonably intelligent people in between these two extremes.

Fenton would be good, but there's likely 6-8 other people in NHL circles that could quickly build a very good team given Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent Hopkins.

 

[McIce Whole]

Oh god, please let this be true. They need to nail the next hiring and it starts with the GM. Bring the right guy in, let him develop the right culture, surround himself with smart people and hire a coach that will be long term.

I know all this is something you hope for with every hire but with the amount of changes we have gone through, we need to get the right people in place and build some proper stability.

With Connor and Leon on this team, making the kind of money they are, we need to be looking at what teams like Tampa and Pittsburgh are doing and doing our best to replicate it.

 

[Asiaoil]

Like I said - I have my issues with Chia but the only deal that was a complete disaster was Reinhart - he owns it - but sure seems like the old boys had a woodie for that kid. Chia treated GR like a bad smell pretty much from day 1 and not at all like a guy he was banking his reputation on.

I've got zero problems with Strome for Ebs. Strome looks like he can be an affordable and very useful RH 3C. Worth more than a one dimensional 2RW at half the price.

Hall for Larsson hurt but that filled a massive hole and the only other top pair RD moved since then (Jones, Subban) cost way more. Hell even a smaller and defensively weak 2RHD like Vatanen cost Henrique who is almost Hall's equal in goal scoring over the last 3 years.

So NJD got a 1LW but it cost a very good 2C to fill the hole created by the loss of Larsson with a lesser player. It's certainly less than the overwhelming win people make it seem if you look at the deals as a package (Larsson and Henrique for Hall and Vatanen).

TMac has lost me though. I can't abide by people who cannot learn and keep making the same mistakes. The Oilers out-grew him pretty quickly and he had nothing to offer this year at all. Need a better coach.

 

[Soundwave]

Like I said - I have my issues with Chia but the only deal that was a complete disaster was Reinhart - he owns it - but sure seems like the old boys had a woodie for that kid. Chia treated GR like a bad smell pretty much from day 1 and not at all like a guy he was banking his reputation on.

I've got zero problems with Strome for Ebs. Strome looks like he can be an affordable and very useful RH 3C. Worth more than a one dimensional 2RW at half the price.

Hall for Larsson hurt but that filled a massive hole and the only other top pair RD moved since then (Jones, Subban) cost way more. Hell even a smaller and defensively weak 2RHD like Vatanen cost Henrique who is almost Hall's equal in goal scoring over the last 3 years.

So NJD got a 1LW but it cost a very good 2C to fill the hole created by the loss of Larsson with a lesser player. It's certainly less than the overwhelming win people make it seem if you look at the deals as a package (Larsson and Henrique for Hall and Vatanen).

TMac has lost me though. I can't abide by people who cannot learn and keep making the same mistakes. The Oilers out-grew him pretty quickly and he had nothing to offer this year at all. Need a better coach.

Hall-Larsson, Reinhart, Eberle-Strome are all bad trades ... and culminatively they have a large impact on a franchise.

You simply can't go anywhere with management that is this bad, even McDavid as good as he is can be neutralized by such a poor front office.

You don't have "leeway" to make mistakes like this, one after another three straight summers and think "well things will turn out fine". No, it's not going to work like that.

Just like now Oiler fans have come around to understanding that you need to draft well (go figure), I suspect in a few years a lot of people will say "gee, you need to be able to trade well too". It's actually more important because you're trading actual NHL players, whereas a draft pick, more than 50% of the time it's not going to be an NHL player even.

 

[Soundwave]

The problem is management ... it has been bad management for 12 years running now.

Like I said Mac T, Quinn, Renney, Krueger, Nelson, McLellan are all decent to good coaches. Eakins was the only Oiler coach of the last 7 Oiler coaches who was just flat out bad. So the Oilers have had 6/7 passable coaches. Not without flaws, but decent coaches at least.

Lowe (post 2006), Tamebellini, Mac T, and Chiarelli are all poor GMs and each has tangible large scale bad moves that you can point to very clearly.

Fact of the matter is has this team won a big trade since like Brewer-Pronger deal?

Continually firing the coach while the root of the problem sits in the GM chair is not going to get this franchise where it needs to go. Maybe McLellan does need to be fired too, but the GM needs to be fired first.

 

[BudBundy]

Trotz hasn't accomplished anything with stacked teams. If the only goal is making it to playoff second round, then so be it.

Trotz can't win anything.

I think you have a short memory. Trotz did remarkable things with the the unremarkable early Preds teams on a shoe string budget. I also love the style he employs. My only concern would be that he may not have the right players for his agressive style here.

 

[Zaddy]

As much as I've come to dislike McLellan, I'd much rather see Chia go. McLellans decisions are baffling at times but frankly he didn't have much of a roster to work with this year thanks to Chia as well as some injuries to key defensemen and then there's Talbot not playing up to his standards. I think this team could still have success under McLellan even if he's not a guy the Oilers are likely to win a Cup with. The most important part right now is to get rid of Chia and add a savvy GM who has the ability to win trades and make some good signings that can help this team. McLellan could get another year and if he fails again he should be fired.

 

[nightfighter]

History repeating itself... lottery teams that go on to become cup champs always seem to have a sacrificial lamb of a coach before they make it over the hump. Murray in LA, Bylsma in Pitts, Savard in Chicago.

I'm 80% sure McLelllan will get the axe. Deserved or not is debatable, but it follows the pattern of recent history.

 

[nhlisajoke]

if Quennville is let go, I dont see how you dont go all in for him

 

[hockeyguy1967]

Best possible outcome would be Fire Chia and McLellan and hire to be honest any GM and Quinnville.
Next would be fire just GM, followed by just the coach and assistants.
If anything they need to get rid of the assistants. Of course worst case would be to fire them all and have someone like Coffee as coach and Messier as GM.
We have like three players from back when we did the whole coaching shit show switching them up yearly.
To be honest the biggest issue to me is the PP. With McDavid and Drai on it, you have to have a top PP, you cannot be last, it is pathetic.

 

[Todd from Leduc]

Mess would be like a Stevie Y GM in my opinion, just need to hire a young MBA type like Chayka (heard he might be available) to support him on the cap nuances and dollars and cents.

 

[Crude]

History repeating itself... lottery teams that go on to become cup champs always seem to have a sacrificial lamb of a coach before they make it over the hump. Murray in LA, Bylsma in Pitts, Savard in Chicago.

I'm 80% sure McLelllan will get the axe. Deserved or not is debatable, but it follows the pattern of recent history.

Issue with this argument is that the same thing was said when we fired Renney. In 2012.

Tom Renney sad to be leaving midway through Edmonton Oilers rebuild

"My reaction to not coming back was one of real disappointment, to say the least," he said. "When you're at the front end of the building process, you don't like to be the guy that's leaving before you even get to the middle."

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

You just know this late season surge will save a few jobs...

But if they still fire Chiarelli and replace him with a better GM then maybe all this suffering will be worth it.

 

[Shibumi]

Bring the coach in and tell him either fire the special teams coaches or he is gone as well. Chia gets at least one more off season to right the ship, if not he can go as well.

 

[yababy]

Just waiting on Quenneville... he gets turfed, Oilers probably go hard after him.

Q-man gets Toews and Kane for the bulk of their youth then steps immediately in to McDavid and Draisaitl? That would be some pretty sick timing

 

[hjghkabsdkc]

What should happen: Chiarelli and McLellan fired. A legitimate search outside the organization for a forward-thinking GM who doesn't lose every trade and negotiate against himself (You Don't Have a First, So Maybe a Second and a Prospect Pete). Who values skill, speed, and doesn't overrate grit, intangibles, and culture.

What will happen: McLellan is the scapegoat, Chiarelli gets another season to take this team's ceiling down further. He loses more trades, adds more poor signings. He gets fired April 2019.

 

[yababy]

GM usually gets to bring in 2 coaches before they're fired I believe.

Chiarelli's record here is so horrendous I don't see how that's possible

 

[hjghkabsdkc]

Bobby Nicks probably doesn't want to look dumb so he'll keep Chia on for another year. Bobby doesn't know anything about hockey other than picking Canada's top 10 centers for Canada's olympic teams so managing a team is completely out of his element.

 

[yababy]

I believe it was Jeff Marek in a 31 Thoughts Podcast with Friedman. He couldn't confirm it, but he had a source who said Katz is livid with the season and wanted to fire the whole crew after they got their balls kicked up into their ribs by Dallas in that afternoon game.

that was January 6th
Did Katz feel better about the team when Buffalo beat them 5-0 on Jan 23rd?

 

[yababy]

Management is the rotting garbage that's stinking up the house, that's the root cause of it.

agreed.
That Pronger trade without getting a 1D back was the start of it.
Why do GMs IQ plummet 50 points when they're hired by the Oilers?

 

[McFlash97]

Im all for getting rid of both Assistants. Whether Todd likes it or not. Our special teams is the reason we are not in the playoffs and McDavid is being questioned as being unequivocally the leagues best player. Connor would be running away with the Art Ross and Hart trophy and the Oilers would be gearing up for a run. Increasing team PK numbers during garbage time does little to bring these coaches back. Home PK is still worst in league history and PP is still atrocious.

 

[HockeyGuy1964]

My money is on McClellan getting turfed. The special teams alone is enough of a reason and I can't see him being ok with Woof-croft being let go without falling on the sword with him. Chia will get at least one more year. Deal with it haters.

Pretty much this^^^^^. Personally I would have fired some coaches in January the day after TMac said he didn't know why the PK was so bad @ home & so good on the road. You don't say things like that.

Every GM gets at least a 2nd coach. This will be no different unless Chia resigns or gets retained as POHO.

 

[backhandsauce]

Bob Nicholson is very close with John Shannon. I would read more into this. They go way back.

I don't think JS would just throw this out there.

 

[yababy]

I've got zero problems with Strome for Ebs. Strome looks like he can be an affordable and very useful RH 3C. Worth more than a one dimensional 2RW at half the price.

the Eberle deal isn't horrible, it just didn't need to happen a year earlier than it needed to. That deal was part of what cost us this year

 

[nhlisajoke]

the Eberle deal isn't horrible, it just didn't need to happen a year earlier than it needed to. That deal was part of what cost us this year

only bc the GM didnt use the cap space that we had..not because of the player