Around the League vol 3: March 2, Firing.

[Menzinger]

Oilers is not as far away as some of you think bc of McDavid.
If they can somehow find the cap to sign Bobrosvky this summer, they will be a very good team. Their D is not as bad as people think as long as they can stay healthy.
The just need to find a way to trade for some cost effective wingers.

They have zero secondary scoring right now. It’s going to take assets to get those, which means losing picks and prospects which they desperately need

 

[rumman]

They have a few decent young D'men, 3 forwards and the Koskinen looks good in net, and that's about it. They need someone to find them players soon before they lose McDavid. You're talking about Marks brother, Dave.

oops, my bad.

 

[Nithoniniel]

They have zero secondary scoring right now. It’s going to take assets to get those, which means losing picks and prospects which they desperately need

Yeah. I'm not much for formulas to winning teams, but you do need to be a strong team overall. You can judge that by four parts. Your top forwards, your top d-men, your goalie, and your depth. Almost no team will check all four boxes, so missing one is fine. But you could argue that Edmonton really only checks one of them.

 

[Gabriel426]

They have zero secondary scoring right now. It’s going to take assets to get those, which means losing picks and prospects which they desperately need

That may be true but they are not a tire fire like some are saying.

 

[jwalk]

McCown just mentioned on Primetime that rumours are thick and fast that Mark Hunter may land as the new GM in Edmonton now that Peter Chiarelli has been relieved of his duties.
Do you believe there is any vailidity to these rumours ? Is his gig too cushy in London to make that move ?
Do you believe that the Leafs made a big mistake choosing Dubas over Hunter as the Team's GM ?
And at the risk of opening old wounds - how do you rate Hunter's draft record with the Leafs so far ?​

 

[DarkKnight]

Would be a good get for Edmonton, he's a great hockey guy.... at least according to people around the league. Mediocre hockey minds here excluded of course.

 

[Mr Hockey]

McCown just mentioned on Primetime that rumours are thick and fast that Mark Hunter may land as the new GM in Edmonton now that Peter Chiarelli has been relieved of his duties.
Do you believe there is any vailidity to these rumours ? Is his gig too cushy in London to make that move ?
Do you believe that the Leafs made a big mistake choosing Dubas over Hunter as the Team's GM ?
And at the risk of opening old wounds - how do you rate Hunter's draft record with the Leafs so far ?​

• It would be a good choice,
• dunno if he is interested in leaving the knights,
• I preferred Hunter over Dubas but I'm ok with Dubas as GM
• He drafted well, we still need more time to see how they developed

 

[Gabriel426]

I think the issue with the Oilers beside Chia is crap has more to do with too many chiefs and not enough workers

 

[Leafs at Knight]

• It would be a good choice,
• dunno if he is interested in leaving the knights,
• I preferred Hunter over Dubas but I'm ok with Dubas as GM
• He drafted well, we still need more time to see how they developed

News to me.

 

[Menzinger]

Hunter would be an interesting choice.

He seems fairly independent minded, which is what the Oilers seem to need: he wouldn’t be a “yes man” to ownership.

It’s hard to say what his vision of team building is though other than him being a big draft guy.

His drafts were weird 1 of them was skill centric the other two were more towards older players (over-agers) and bigger guys with grit. I admittedly wasn’t the biggest fan of his drafting (thought they were was around average quality)

 

[Mr Hockey]

News to me.

I usually ignore you but everything is news to you and your buds in the Marlie thread

 

[Leafs at Knight]

I usually ignore you but everything is news to you and your buds in the Marlie thread

I'm honoured.

I don't think many would agree with your take on Hunter drafted well; except maybe the massive Hunter followers.

 

[Mr Hockey]

Hunter would be an interesting choice.

He seems fairly independent minded, which is what the Oilers seem to need: he wouldn’t be a “yes man” to ownership.

It’s hard to say what his vision of team building is though other than him being a big draft guy.

His drafts were weird 1 of them was skill-centric the other two were more towards older players (over-agers) and bigger guys with grit. I admittedly wasn’t the biggest fan of his drafting (though they were was around average quality)

The team is full of skilled guys right now, correct? so bringing in some bigger skilled guys would be an ok thing, no? He seemed to have a team building strategy by the looks of his drafting. You just dont draft the highest pointing JR player every pick

 

[Menzinger]

The team is full of skilled guys right now, correct? so bringing in some bigger skilled guys would be an ok thing, no? He seemed to have a team building strategy by the looks of his drafting. You just dont draft the highest pointing JR player every pick

Problem is low skilled prospects have a low chance of becoming NHLers.

I also hate the idea of using the draft to sort out current needs for the team, when most guys taken even if they were to make it are usually around 4 years away (think about how different the current Leafs roster is to how it was 4 seasons ago.

 

[supermann_98]

man is he a player, Flames ran him all night Saturday and the guy just keeps bringing it, he's a stud, no doubt about it.

He's a machine ... doesn't take a single shift off and he's grinds at top speed. Dominant

 

[Daisy Jane]

i don't know why anyone would want the job. I mean. Chia was dumbo. and I always said he was. but it's clear as spit that that the issue lays with the fact that Kaatz has his fingers in all the pie and it wouldn't surprise me if Lowe etc influence some aspects of everything.

 

[Warden of the North]

i don't know why anyone would want the job. I mean. Chia was dumbo. and I always said he was. but it's clear as spit that that the issue lays with the fact that Kaatz has his fingers in all the pie and it wouldn't surprise me if Lowe etc influence some aspects of everything.

The attraction of McDavid will be enough for a lot of guys.

 

[ULF_55]

i don't know why anyone would want the job. I mean. Chia was dumbo. and I always said he was. but it's clear as spit that that the issue lays with the fact that Kaatz has his fingers in all the pie and it wouldn't surprise me if Lowe etc influence some aspects of everything.

That's the real issue, are they looking to hire someone to make decisions or are they going to let the 1980's Oilers cronies control the flow?

Katz isn't the problem, it is his acceptance of the old boys club running the show.

I'm guessing Katz is ready to see a real change.

 

[Slyfox]

Hunter drafted well? News to me.

 

[Slyfox]

The team is full of skilled guys right now, correct? so bringing in some bigger skilled guys would be an ok thing, no? He seemed to have a team building strategy by the looks of his drafting. You just dont draft the highest pointing JR player every pick

Tampa does and it seems to work out for them.

 

[Warden of the North]

Hunter drafted well? News to me.

Indeed. Im not terribly impressed with hsi drafting record. Still some time for guys to develop, but theres a lot fo guy on there who likely dont.

 

[Slyfox]

Also, Dermott was a Dubas pick not Hunter.

 

[Daisy Jane]

That's the real issue, are they looking to hire someone to make decisions or are they going to let the 1980's Oilers cronies control the flow?

Katz isn't the problem, it is his acceptance of the old boys club running the show.

I'm guessing Katz is ready to see a real change.

that's what they said when they hired Chia and then nicholson.

 

[hockeywiz542]

According to TSN and NBC Sports Network NHL insider Darren Dreger, here are some potential GM candidates for the Edmonton Oilers:

• Kelly McCrimmon

• Mark Hunter

• Darryl Sutter

• Ron Hextall

• Mike Gillis

 

[hockeywiz542]

LeBrun: Possible candidates to replace Peter Chiarelli as...

Kelly McCrimmon

The assistant GM of the Vegas Golden Knights will be among the candidates for the GM job in expansion Seattle for obvious reasons but perhaps the Oilers can snatch him before then. The longtime Western Hockey League executive and owner checks all the boxes for Edmonton other than he hasn’t been an NHL GM. I suppose that’s where the risk lies. But otherwise, his credentials are impeccable. No question in my mind Nicholson has already mentioned his name internally. To me, he’s the front-runner in the early going.

Mark Hunter

The former Maple Leafs assistant GM has a wonderful/profitable gig running the OHL’s London Knights so his return to the NHL would most likely only come as a GM and for the right fit. His work in the draft for the Leafs speaks for itself. He obviously felt he was ready to take on the GM duties before Kyle Dubas got the nod, hence his tremendous disappointment at the time. Definitely worth a call if you’re the Oilers. And I think that call will come.

Doug Armstrong

OK, so this one is a bit strange I know because he’s currently an active GM on another team and you almost never see this type of a lateral move in hockey. Plus Armstrong signed an extension last year which still has another three years left on it after this season. But let me throw this out there: what if Nicholson phoned up Blues owner Tom Stillman and asked the question? The Blues are having a very disappointing season. Would Stillman see it as a chance to change things up and have another team pick up the tab on his GM? From Edmonton’s perspective, Armstrong has built regular contenders in St. Louis over the years and has Team Canada experience connecting him to Nicholson. And, deep down, I believe it is a checklist item for Armstrong to one day run a Canadian NHL team if at all possible. Just saying …

Ken Holland

See Armstrong above. While it’s unusual to go after a current GM, Nicholson and Holland go way back. With Holland also believed to be on Seattle’s radar, I don’t see why the Oilers wouldn’t at least reach out to inquire on Holland’s future in Detroit. Holland would probably want to wait until the summer to make any decision on his future in Detroit, Seattle or otherwise. Where that would leave Edmonton potentially in terms of its timeline is tough to tell.

Bill Zito

The Blue Jackets assistant GM is as smart as they come. The former agent has been a key cog in Jarmo Kekalainen’s operation, running the AHL team while steering the ship on contracts and CBA matters. His interview for the Buffalo GM position a few years ago went very well and he’s prime for an opportunity if an owner is willing to take a chance on an up-and-comer.

Pat Verbeek

Verbeek is a smart hockey man who oozes integrity with a work ethic through the roof. He’s part of that Tampa brain trust which has built the best team in hockey, one that also has more talent coming. They’ve been a model franchise in the salary cap era and he’s been part of those decisions.

Ron Hextall

A good ol’ Western Canadian boy if that matters at all to the Oilers brass. What should matter more is that before being fired by the Flyers he had restocked the prospect cupboard.

Scott Mellanby

The Habs assistant GM is known as a hard worker who rolls up his sleeves and puts in the hours. He’s also had a front-row seat to the pressure-cooker his boss Marc Bergevin has lived through over the years, experiencing that roller-coaster, which would serve him well if he’s ever running a franchise that’s under that kind of a spotlight.

Mike Futa

The Kings assistant GM is a popular interview request when openings come up but he hasn’t yet landed a GM gig. However, I think some of that is him being happy in L.A. and waiting for the right opportunity.

Bill Guerin

A former Oilers star who learned his craft in Pittsburgh as the assistant GM while winning some Stanley Cup in the process. He knows the Edmonton market and he’s a personable guy who works well with others.

Laurence Gilman

The former Canucks assistant GM and current Maple Leafs assistant GM knows what it’s like to work in a frying pan. He’s got the experience and pedigree necessary to at least warrant a look in my mind.

Randy Sexton

The respected right-hand man in Buffalo is a trusted voice to Sabres GM Jason Botterill and has loads of responsibility in Buffalo. The former Senators and Panthers GM has the kind of experience that could handle the Edmonton market.

Norm MacIver

The longtime Blackhawks assistant GM is a former Oilers player which may or may not work in his favour given the fan base’s criticism of Oilers brass hiring former players. But he’s got three Stanley Cup rings from the most impressive run by any team in the cap era. That should count for something.

Sean Burke

This is a guy that deserves a break at some point. Canada’s Olympic GM from last year was a longtime assistant GM in Arizona. He’s put in his time.