Dallas Eakins fired, Nelson named HC, MacTavish named interim

[Snakepit]

Since Nov. 9, Oilers have had more press conferences than wins

 

[The Nuge]

Yes, god forbid a coach come in and tell this sad bunch to shape up. Well, at least Edmonton will have another 2-4 years of a puppet HC to look forward to I guess...

You do realize that Nugent-Hopkins and Ference are 2 of the most fit players in the league right?

It's really quite funny how people think Eakins wasn't a problem. Oh well. At least now we have the coach we were wanting after Krueger was let go (that was the only mistake we've made in regards to letting coaches go)

 

[Bandit]

A coach with zero NHL game experience can't just do whatever he wants though, can he? Just because the team missed the playoffs (although 12-13 was their best season out of the last 5 by far) this new smug AHL guy can come in not really knowing any of the players and accuse them all of being out of shape physically when they probably are all in good shape (being professional athletes and all)?

Being on a poorly built NHL team that can't make the playoffs doesn't mean it should be OK to be accused of not being committed to your off-season training by some newb coach that went on to prove he doesn't have a clue what he's doing at this level.

Well, theoretically the guys that sign your paycheck hire the coach to come in and be the boss. I'd say that boss has the right to do whatever he wants. If you're an Oilers hockey player, you should probably expect that the new boss is going to tell you you suck after the performance the team has exhibited the last several years. Eakins may not be a great coach, but honestly no coach is going to succeed in that environment until the good old boys are cleaned out.

I mean, there's a reason Edmonton is now faced with it's third straight rookie coach, nobody with any experience wants to touch that **** with a 20 foot pole...

 

[Bandit]

You do realize that Nugent-Hopkins and Ference are 2 of the most fit players in the league right?

It's really quite funny how people think Eakins wasn't a problem. Oh well. At least now we have the coach we were wanting after Krueger was let go (that was the only mistake we've made in regards to letting coaches go)

Let's take your statement at the gospel truth, that's two guys. What about the other 21?

You know what? It doesn't matter. Until everyone in the front office is cleaned out it doesn't matter who the coach is. Put a parking cone behind the bench, you'll have the same result. Unfortunate, but true.

 

[Cbbq3]

#itsnothecoachitstheculture

And who, if not the coach, drives the culture within a team?

 

[oobga]

Well, theoretically the guys that sign your paycheck hire the coach to come in and be the boss. I'd say that boss has the right to do whatever he wants. If you're an Oilers hockey player, you should probably expect that the new boss is going to tell you you suck after the performance the team has exhibited the last several years. Eakins may not be a great coach, but honestly no coach is going to succeed in that environment until the good old boys are cleaned out.

I mean, there's a reason Edmonton is now faced with it's third straight rookie coach, nobody with any experience wants to touch that **** with a 20 foot pole...

I agree with most of what you say, except about the players just having to take crap about their off-season fitness training from a rookie HC that doesn't know them and has proven nothing himself at the NHL level. It's natural for anyone in any walk of life to get defensive and think badly of someone that is accusing them of not doing something they know they have done and take pride in like their off-season workout. On ice performance is a completely different subject from that, which I think is totally fair game once training camp and the season goes on. Eakins, like any other rookie HC, needed to earn the respect of his players before waltzing in and acting like he was gods gift to NHL coaching telling the players they need to be in as amazing shape as he is, and making the media eat veggies at press conferences. They guy was ridiculous before even coaching 1 game.

With regard to what kind of coach we can get, we could still have Renney right now. He was crushed when he was let go, but we have since discovered the reason he was is because he refused to force the development of the kids by playing them against tough competition which was being pushed by management. That really exposed one of the roots of coaching issues here, Lowe and his friends want a guy they can micromanage, that's why we're getting a string of rookies now. Krueger played ball to get his HC chance and played Hall/Nuge/Ebs against all the best players and they actually did OK, just the rest of the team was garbage. Eakins though, across the board regression of every single player because he simply can't coach.

 

[SaintMorose]

Actually thought this press conference was much better than the last one.

That said power is held in the organization by Lowe and in the Locker-room by Hall and this firing might once again be protecting those guys rather than real change.

 

[King King]

And who, if not the coach, drives the culture within a team?

Owners, managers, players. Coaching is just part of the equation.

 

[Philly85*]

Do these guys live in a bubble or what. They operate like The Gestapo or some sort of totalitarian regime.

 

[The Nuge]

Let's take your statement at the gospel truth, that's two guys. What about the other 21?

You know what? It doesn't matter. Until everyone in the front office is cleaned out it doesn't matter who the coach is. Put a parking cone behind the bench, you'll have the same result. Unfortunate, but true.

That's not me that said that. It's a fact from the Oilers fitness tests. Point is, if you've got some of the most fit players, it might not be needed to start out by criticizing them.

Really? Because having a competent coach, with a worse roster, had them finish higher

 

[MasterDecoy]

Still better than Oilers management.

omg that's the best

 

[LGB51]

So your defence of Oilers management is that they "tried"?

Everyone tries, this is a COMPETITIVE league, and GMs are ultimately the architects of everything related to their teams. Scouting, coaching, team make-up, focus on offence vs defence vs goaltending, etc.

Oilers management tried, but they FAILED. And their attempts were very half-hearted. I understand that Edmonton isnt a top UFA destination, but plenty of players that could have helped Edmonton have been traded over the past few years. Both in terms of big aggressive moves, but also softer deals that wouldnt have even been all that risky. NYI didnt give up Tavares, Nelson, Strome, Reinhart, etc in order to trade for Leddy or Boychuk.

Management are ultimately responsible for the competitiveness of the organization.

Were Leddy and Boychuk NMC/NTC protected?

 

[10coach*]

Owners, managers, players. Coaching is just part of the equation.

Coaching is numero uno. Players number two and owners and gm have little to no influence in team culture as funny as that sounds.

 

[Del Preston]

Pierre LeBrun also believes the firing came from above MacTavish.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/12032294/edmonton-oilers-fire-dallas-eakins

 

[King King]

Coaching is numero uno. Players number two and owners and gm have little to no influence in team culture as funny as that sounds.

Generally, yes I agree. There are examples to the contrary though. Ed Snider has left a pretty huge stamp on the culture of the Flyers organization, for instance.

I think you're also understating the influence of management. The coach can direct the habits and attitudes the players adopt, but the GM can decide which type of players that the roster is going to get filled with. Indirect influence, but still influence nonetheless.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

One down, several to go. Blows me away to see anyone defending Eakins. He was clearly the worst of all the coaches the Oil's had in the last few years. In way, way over his head. I can't think of a single player they have who's been better under him than his predecessors. You watch them play, and even the most basic hockey plays and teamwork are almost completely dysfunctional. With the individual players they have on that team, there's just no way they should be that bad.

If MacTavish/Lowe/whoever really decides things has even the smallest shred of grey matter they'll bring in someone with actual NHL experience from outside the old Oilers retirement home. Crawford, Bylsma, McLean...just someone who knows basic NHL structure.

Now watch them bring in McSorley or someone.

 

[Lobstertainment]

lol an interim coach for the interim coach. That's the most Oilers thing ever.

 

[Blue And Orange]

As much as Eakins needed to go, the real source of the problem is still employed. WE're just treating the symptoms, not the disease. TO kill a snake, you cut the head off, not the tail.

For those who've never watched Lowe's arrogance on display, here it is:

 

[Luca]

Great injustice that Eakins was fired before trading some useless player(s).

 

[The Panther]

If MacTavish/Lowe/whoever really decides things has even the smallest shred of grey matter they'll bring in someone with actual NHL experience from outside the old Oilers retirement home. Crawford, Bylsma, McLean...just someone who knows basic NHL structure.

Strongly disagree with this. There's absolutely nothing wrong with bringing in further ex-Oiler players. The Oilers have a (admittedly short) history of legacy-building with ex-players joining the coaching/management ranks. Up to 2006, it was quite a successful course. The Montreal Canadiens built a 40-year-long dynasty out of the same philosophy.

In fact, I think their first disaster move was hiring Tambellini -- a guy from way outside the Oiler ranks. That's what started the current mess. Had MacTavish become GM back in 2006 or whenever instead of Tambellini, I think they'd be a lot better off now. With the notable (and large) blunder of hiring Dallas Eakins, MacTavish has done a decent job as GM so far. Not exactly sparking, but not bad.

The key now is to hire the best person -- someone with integrity and experience, and an understanding of the Oilers' farm-team and junior ranks. If that person happens to be an ex-Oiler, all the better.

I think people on this forum sometimes suffer from short memories. Nobody was calling for Lowe and MacTavish's head in 2006. Suddenly now they're incompetent fools who can't do anything right. Surely the truth is somewhere in between.

 

[Smokey McCanucks]

The Oilers have talent, more talent than a lot of teams that are doing better and putting out a better effort. You can say the roster is flawed, but all they really needed coming in to the season was a center, not even a top-six center but just a center who could play solid two-way hockey and not be a defensive liability, a center and a veteran defenceman. And a coach who wasn't freaking terrible. Anybody could see it, his body-language, his decision-making, his team's body language, it was terrible, he was terrible, he should have been fired this time last season.

So, here's my fix for the Oilers that I had worked out as of about a month ago...

1. Fire Eakins
2. Trade Eberle for a center (Mike Richards maybe? or similar) who is defensively responsible (no longer applicable since Gordon is hurt thus they are completely boned anyway)
3. Trade a low pick for a veteran defenceman (no longer as applicable since targets like Gonchar, Allen, Brewer are already moved)
4. Put Nicholson in charge

The fact they did nothing before the season and nothing now tells me, 1. the front office is incompetent (see: they hired Eakins in the first place) and/or, 2. they were tanking right from the start and it probably came down from the top, ie ownership told them not to add anything and to blow the season so that they would move into their new arena with more high draft picks ie Eichel/McDavid. Frankly that is an embarrassment to the entire league.

 

[Blue And Orange]

Strongly disagree with this. There's absolutely nothing wrong with bringing in further ex-Oiler players. The Oilers have a (admittedly short) history of legacy-building with ex-players joining the coaching/management ranks. Up to 2006, it was quite a successful course. The Montreal Canadiens built a 40-year-long dynasty out of the same philosophy.

In fact, I think their first disaster move was hiring Tambellini -- a guy from way outside the Oiler ranks. That's what started the current mess. Had MacTavish become GM back in 2006 or whenever instead of Tambellini, I think they'd be a lot better off now. With the notable (and large) blunder of hiring Dallas Eakins, MacTavish has done a decent job as GM so far. Not exactly sparking, but not bad.

The key now is to hire the best person -- someone with integrity and experience, and an understanding of the Oilers' farm-team and junior ranks. If that person happens to be an ex-Oiler, all the better.

I think people on this forum sometimes suffer from short memories. Nobody was calling for Lowe and MacTavish's head in 2006. Suddenly now they're incompetent fools who can't do anything right. Surely the truth is somewhere in between.

That was almost a decade ago.

Lowe has been involved in hockey op both as a president and a GM since that run and he's still employed despite a plethora of player personnel changes and coaching changes.

How do you expect players and coaches to be accountable when the guy on top isn't held responsible for bringing this franchise to its nadir.

 

[10coach*]

The Oilers have talent, more talent than a lot of teams that are doing better and putting out a better effort. You can say the roster is flawed, but all they really needed coming in to the season was a center, not even a top-six center but just a center who could play solid two-way hockey and not be a defensive liability, a center and a veteran defenceman. And a coach who wasn't freaking terrible. Anybody could see it, his body-language, his decision-making, his team's body language, it was terrible, he was terrible, he should have been fired this time last season.

So, here's my fix for the Oilers that I had worked out as of about a month ago...

1. Fire Eakins
2. Trade Eberle for a center (Mike Richards maybe? or similar) who is defensively responsible (no longer applicable since Gordon is hurt thus they are completely boned anyway)
3. Trade a low pick for a veteran defenceman (no longer as applicable since targets like Gonchar, Allen, Brewer are already moved)
4. Put Nicholson in charge

The fact they did nothing before the season and nothing now tells me, 1. the front office is incompetent (see: they hired Eakins in the first place) and/or, 2. they were tanking right from the start and it probably came down from the top, ie ownership told them not to add anything and to blow the season so that they would move into their new arena with more high draft picks ie Eichel/McDavid. Frankly that is an embarrassment to the entire league.

What the...

 

[McIce Whole]

Eakins was in over his head. He is great at talking and does sound like he knows what he is doing but it never resulted in wins. We regressed under him. He came in overconfident, demanded respect and was just flat out a bad fit for this club. I do credit him for certain things, like drastically improving Yak's D game and the team doesn't give up when we are down now but the results weren't there. Hopefully Nelson can start turning things around. It's embarassing to be a fan of this team, we need something good to happen. Maybe Nelson can get Schultz to start playing like how he did in the AHL

 

[Cbbq3]

Strongly disagree with this. There's absolutely nothing wrong with bringing in further ex-Oiler players. The Oilers have a (admittedly short) history of legacy-building with ex-players joining the coaching/management ranks. Up to 2006, it was quite a successful course. The Montreal Canadiens built a 40-year-long dynasty out of the same philosophy.

In fact, I think their first disaster move was hiring Tambellini -- a guy from way outside the Oiler ranks. That's what started the current mess. Had MacTavish become GM back in 2006 or whenever instead of Tambellini, I think they'd be a lot better off now. With the notable (and large) blunder of hiring Dallas Eakins, MacTavish has done a decent job as GM so far. Not exactly sparking, but not bad.

The key now is to hire the best person -- someone with integrity and experience, and an understanding of the Oilers' farm-team and junior ranks. If that person happens to be an ex-Oiler, all the better.

I think people on this forum sometimes suffer from short memories. Nobody was calling for Lowe and MacTavish's head in 2006. Suddenly now they're incompetent fools who can't do anything right. Surely the truth is somewhere in between.

I am also reluctant to blow off MacT as an incompetent joke, because he was probably the best coach the Oilers have had in the past 10 years. The statistics would support this. That doesn't make him a good GM though. He's still new to the job so I am willing to give him a chance, and his hire/treatment of Dallas Eakins, even if questionable in retrospect, probably would have been a pretty consistent move had it been any other GM in the NHL in similar shoes. Lowe I am not going to defend, he comes off as arrogant and I just don't like him. Not someone I want to be overseeing this hockey team.

I am not a fan of the old boys club. I think it's one of those things that when it works, it's good. Everyone knows everyone, the relationships are friendly, the vision is completely uniform. But when it breaks down it creates this isolation from the rest of the league, it's like we are a depressed child and we refuse to get help from the outside . The once beneficial close relationships become a burden that is difficult to offload. I would endorse the import of a new, fresh coach because I think it could inject a lot of external positivity.

I will say is that I don't think there is a single person in the world who truly understands what the **** is going on in Edmonton right now. Everyone seems to have a lot of ideas, but it seems like those ideas vary WILDLY all over the place. Perhaps the most accurate assessment would be that everything is wrong. Some people suggest that the roster is quite simply incapable of succeeding (and any coach would fail miserably). I don't buy this, however. The thing is, the roster doesn't even appear to be wholly committed to success, and I am not sure we have actually seen a full effort from the club at all. I'm not even talking about winning, simply competing. If this is indeed the case than Dallas & the Oilers may have borne far more responsibility for this than our beloved management. It will be interesting to see what sort of behavioural changes we see with MacT coming down to the bench.

For the record, the Pens also blew through 4 coaches in 4 years, and 5 in 7 before landing Therrien, and even then that was only a semi-permanent solution. They drafted 5th, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd and with arguably stronger draft classes than the Oilers. When all was said and done and they finally landed that illusive Cup in 09, their struggles in the basement became like a figment of the past. The Oilers now fill that void in everyone's brains. I have a feeling that in years, when the Oilers do eventually climb out, we will be all too distracted by some other basement dweller that this decade+ long fiasco will be just a funny story to tell. Tbh, I am already laughing and have been for a few years. It's even funnier now that Burke's in Calgary and rubbing the salt in Lowe's wounds every day .