News Article: Oilers: Eakins will need to be much better in year two in order to keep his job

[HometownHockey]

Oilers: Eakins will need to be much better in year two in order to keep his job

While the Edmonton Oilers organization might not say publicly, one has to think head coach Dallas Eakins will be on the hot seat in 2014-15. After leading this team to a last place finish in the Western Conference standings, the chances of Eakins surviving another year of under achievement appear to be almost zero.

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[Soundwave]

I'd give him 18-20 games. If the results are still garbage, turf him.

That's really three training camps he'll have had (last season + Olympic break + this year's camp) to implement some kind of workable system for this team, if he still can't do that, he needs to go.

 

[rboomercat90]

This article is a lot of wishful thinking. Unless Lowe and Mactavish go with him, Eakins survives this season regardless of what his record is. The clock won't start ticking on him until the start of the 2015-16 season.

 

[Aerchon]

I'd give him 18-20 games. If the results are still garbage, turf him.

That's really three training camps he'll have had (last season + Olympic break + this year's camp) to implement some kind of workable system for this team, if he still can't do that, he needs to go.

Because of how easy our opening schedule is relatively speaking, 10 games at the most. If he can't win with the schedule we have to start the year he won't be able to win down the stretch against the western conference power houses.

10 games next year plus what he showed us over 82 last year should be enough to see if he has what it takes at the NHL level.

 

[Dorian2]

I'd give him 18-20 games. If the results are still garbage, turf him.

That's really three training camps he'll have had (last season + Olympic break + this year's camp) to implement some kind of workable system for this team, if he still can't do that, he needs to go.

Sounds like a reasonable expectation and timeline to me as well. Although I would edge for 30 - 40 games myself. But your suggestion is justifiable.

 

[Section337]

I am good with the 20 game marker, though measured against the last 60 games last year, not the first 22. The Oilers can add 8+ points in that period and be a worse team than ended the year.

 

[Beerfish]

He'll get at least a half a season unless the team absolutely bombs in the 1st 20, as in wins 3 games.

The big problem is that if he goes macT will take over behind the bench, I'd bet on that and Eakins is mact's clone so we will get no major change in philosophy.

The huge benefit of the gross underachievement of the team last year is that if they even finish 1 spot better it will be seen as 'progress'

The team seems to at least a bit respond to fans wrath so it would take a lot of booing and jersey throwing.

 

[Oilerz]

Another armchair GM preaching to other armchair GM's. Nothing to see here at all. Blah Blah Blah.

 

[Supermassive]

This article is a lot of wishful thinking. Unless Lowe and Mactavish go with him, Eakins survives this season regardless of what his record is. The clock won't start ticking on him until the start of the 2015-16 season.

Truth.

The team really can't be as bad as last year. If somehow they are, they'll find something else to blame it on. Lack of cohesion among the new defensemen, for example. The "Fire The Coach" magic is recharging for one more season.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Eakins hiring Craig Ramsay might save his job

legit coach with great results in the past

 

[Starbuds]

What`s up with the picture selection in the OP?

 

[Tarus]

This article is a lot of wishful thinking. Unless Lowe and Mactavish go with him, Eakins survives this season regardless of what his record is. The clock won't start ticking on him until the start of the 2015-16 season.

He likely survives the entire length of the contract regardless of how bad the team is.

The organization isn't being run by the indecisive Tambo anymore, a person couldn't make a decision about whether he liked his coach if his life depended on it. It's being run by Lowe/Mact again, two people who know nothing about being accountable to performance.

It's probable those two don't even have understanding of the concept of accountability, having no actual personal experience with it themselves as hockey executives.

 

[rboomercat90]

He likely survives the entire length of the contract regardless of how bad the team is.

The organization isn't being run by the indecisive Tambo anymore, a person couldn't make a decision about whether he liked his coach if his life depended on it. It's being run by Lowe/Mact again, two people who know nothing about being accountable to performance.

It's probable those two don't even have understanding of the concept of accountability, having no actual personal experience with it themselves as hockey executives.

I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he survives the length of his contract and beyond either. Lowe kept Mactavish around for nine years keeping the spotlight on him instead of himself. Mac T could easily do the same thing here. I just think the very earliest his job could be on the line with the current management group is the 2015-16 season.

 

[McArthur]

the guy needs to figure out how to get the most from his guys. case in point Nail Yakupov... The guy has brutal power play stats. how can we expect him to figure out what to do with the same guys 5 on 5. On the upside, I really think the young guys up front have learned a lot. I hope Yakupov can carve a niche on line 3 until he gets some confidence back.

 

[McAsuno]

the guy needs to figure out how to get the most from his guys. case in point Nail Yakupov... The guy has brutal power play stats. how can we expect him to figure out what to do with the same guys 5 on 5. On the upside, I really think the young guys up front have learned a lot. I hope Yakupov can carve a niche on line 3 until he gets some confidence back.

He needs to do one thing and not do another. He says Yakupov needs a lot of work on his defensive game without the puck. Yeah well Eakins, then don't ****ing put him on the ice against guys like Kessel and Ovy who ate him alive when both players were on the ice against him.

 

[Juxta Position]

I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he survives the length of his contract and beyond either. Lowe kept Mactavish around for nine years keeping the spotlight on him instead of himself. Mac T could easily do the same thing here. I just think the very earliest his job could be on the line with the current management group is the 2015-16 season.

mact actually got some decent results with very mediocre to bad lineups. i don't see these situations being even remotely similar.

 

[Tarus]

mact actually got some decent results with very mediocre to bad lineups. i don't see these situations being even remotely similar.

He made the playoffs 3 times in 9 years. His teams would routinely be out of the playoff picture by midseason due to his complete lack of ability to get anything out of his players, forcing desperate late season pushes just to avoid everyone feeling humiliated by the poor starts. Mact was easily one of the worst coaches in the NHL that decade, someone who routinely would get his ass handed to him by other coaches around the league.

That decade may have seemed like a good one in comparison to what we've faced as fans in the tanks years, but outside of a short 2/3 month playoff run the Oilers were a doormat to the rest of the league.

 

[rboomercat90]

mact actually got some decent results with very mediocre to bad lineups. i don't see these situations being even remotely similar.

This team wasn't a frequent playoff participant with Mactavish as coach. Your statement is more myth than fact IMO. There were question marks about Mac T's coaching most of the time he was here including the year he went to the finals. Lots of speculation his job was in jeopardy if the team didn't win at least a round in the playoffs that year. He also had much more talent to work with initially than Eakins did as Sather left Lowe with a fairly competitive team. The talent level dropped here every year and that was most likely on Lowe although Mactavish is on record as saying he was involved in all the player personnel decisions.

Generally accepted that the clock doesn't start ticking on the GM while his initial coaching hire is still in place, it starts after the second one is hired. Lowe waited years after it should have been done before he pulled the trigger on Mactavish. (Although now the organization says Mac T quit back then.) I suspect that Mactavish will wait as long as possible to start that clock on himself otherwise Eakins would already be gone. I'd love to be proven wrong here but I don't see it happening. Eakins is safe for a while yet.

 

[Juxta Position]

This team wasn't a frequent playoff participant with Mactavish as coach. Your statement is more myth than fact IMO. There were question marks about Mac T's coaching most of the time he was here including the year he went to the finals. Lots of speculation his job was in jeopardy if the team didn't win at least a round in the playoffs that year. He also had much more talent to work with initially than Eakins did as Sather left Lowe with a fairly competitive team. The talent level dropped here every year and that was most likely on Lowe although Mactavish is on record as saying he was involved in all the player personnel decisions.

Generally accepted that the clock doesn't start ticking on the GM while his initial coaching hire is still in place, it starts after the second one is hired. Lowe waited years after it should have been done before he pulled the trigger on Mactavish. (Although now the organization says Mac T quit back then.) I suspect that Mactavish will wait as long as possible to start that clock on himself otherwise Eakins would already be gone. I'd love to be proven wrong here but I don't see it happening. Eakins is safe for a while yet.

and that statement is exactly that, your opinion which you are entitled to, but that doesn't make it correct.

blaming anything other than being a poor small market team for the reason the talent level dropped off during that period, is also incorrect. this team could not afford high level talent, and Mact did an admirable job making the oilers competitive during his tenure as head coach.

as i said, these two situations have absolutely nothing in common.

 

[Wheathead]

Oh boy, this board will love this article.

We should just fire him now.

 

[rboomercat90]

and that statement is exactly that, your opinion which you are entitled to, but that doesn't make it correct.

blaming anything other than being a poor small market team for the reason the talent level dropped off during that period, is also incorrect. this team could not afford high level talent, and Mact did an admirable job making the oilers competitive during his tenure as head coach.

as i said, these two situations have absolutely nothing in common.

So what are you telling me then, that you expect Mactavish to fire Eakins if the team gets off to a poor start this year? This is what this thread is about and I don't think it's going to happen for the reasons I stated. What's your input on the topic, assuming you have some?

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

i would stand there with a stop watch and give him 30 seconds

 

[Mr Positive]

This article is a lot of wishful thinking. Unless Lowe and Mactavish go with him, Eakins survives this season regardless of what his record is. The clock won't start ticking on him until the start of the 2015-16 season.

we brought in Ramsay, which tells me instantly that Eakins could be fired simply because Ramsay is very experienced as an interim coach. He can get a team on the right track mid-season. The fact that MacT picked an assistant coach with this particular ability can't be a coincidence.

MacT also had a great offseason. With all the new players Eakins has, he's got no excuses now. He's not just inheriting his players and his assistants. He's had a chance to influence the make up of the team.

MacT has been shown to be very aggressive as a GM. I don't see why he would be loyal to Eakins at all.

 

[rboomercat90]

we brought in Ramsay, which tells me instantly that Eakins could be fired simply because Ramsay is very experienced as an interim coach. He can get a team on the right track mid-season. The fact that MacT picked an assistant coach with this particular ability can't be a coincidence.

MacT also had a great offseason. With all the new players Eakins has, he's got no excuses now. He's not just inheriting his team and his assistants. He's had a chance to influence the make up of the team.

MacT has been shown to be very aggressive as a GM. I don't see why he would be loyal to Eakins at all.

I don't get this thinking. Nobody realistically thinks this team has a shot at making the playoffs so what does Eakins have to do to save his job? If he's dead meat anyway like so many of you think he is then why hasn't he been fired already? If this team was expected to make the playoffs and they faltered out of the gate then I'd expect him to be fired fairly quickly. I don't see this team being in that position right now. They should be in 2015-16 and that's why I think that's when his job will be in jeopardy, I really don't think that's the case this year though.


Edit:I thought Eakins hired Ramsay and not Mactavish. Maybe Mac T was worried he might accidentally offer somebody Eakins job if he led that process again.

 

[Cawz]

I don't get this thinking. Nobody realistically thinks this team has a shot at making the playoffs so what does Eakins have to do to save his job?

Show progress.

In my opinion Krueger went further with a worse roster than Eakins did. That team was heading in the right direction. Last season was a step back. To get yet another coach to start yet another season is tough for the young players. To get some continuity in their development, maybe keeping the coach isnt the worst idea. Even though I think he's the worst of the bunch, it may be the lesser evil.

The mistake was made in canning Krueger and hiring Eakins in the first place, but whats done is done.