OT: The Downfall of Paul Fenton

[ConnorMcNugesaitl]

This a 1000x.

I have frequently been called out for not joining the mob to yell about Chiarelli. But if you hire from outside then 100% that person needs to have the autonomy to work with who he wants and let go of the rest.

I know if I was taking any type of management position and the ousted person was going to be answering to me I'd be very hesitant that they wouldn't want to undermine my authority and every decision. Did that happen here? Maybe, maybe not. But it is telling that numerous people have cited that the Reinhardt trade was an OBC move FROM DAY ONE...and yet nobody faced the consequences for it.

For the record, Chiarelli deserved to be fired for his moves this year. I'd even go so far as saying it seems he was actively trying to get fired. But it was an untenable situation to work in and I am glad Ken Holland isn't facing the same issues.

This organization might be getting it right.

He deserved to get fired after his first trade.

I don't care how much people try to pin the blame on others, he was the boss, it was his call and his subsequent moves both trades and signings showed he consistently made terrible decisions and no one was to blame for it except for him.

 

[rboomercat90]

We can only go off rumors, and we interviewed next to noone and were basically going to go with K Gretzky until Holland became available

There is absolutely a comparable to other searches. Hell, the same thing happened in 2015. Chiarelli comes available and hes hired pretty much instantly.

Let's not act like Bobby Nics did any sort of due diligence

No, Holland’s hiring isn’t remotely comparable to the hiring of any GM since Sather left.

Kevin Lowe, who was an EIG pick, was offered the job publicly in the very same press conference to announce Sather was leaving the organization. He accepted the job within a week. Considering only a week had passed and Lowe had been offered the job immediately, it’s an easy assumption to make that no search was done and no other candidates were considered let alone interviewed.

Steve Tambellini was hired out of the blue. Nobody in the hockey world knew the Oilers were even looking for a GM. Given his relationship with Lowe from Hockey Canada it’s likely he was Lowe’s choice and nobody else was considered.

Craig Mactavish was brought back into the organization to do whatever it was he was doing almost a year before Tambellini was fired. That he was immediately announced as Tambellini’s replacement shows no search was done at all. He was their back up plan the day he returned.

Mactavish was never fired as GM. We heard rumours for a couple days that Chiarelli was in town and then we found out the Oilers had hired him.

The first common denominator in all these GM hires is that next to no time had passed between one GM being fired and the next one being hired. The second one is that nobody even knew the Oilers were actually looking for a GM.

Holland was hired four months after Chiarelli was fired and there was no shortage of names being tossed around. Everyone who may have been interested in the job had the opportunity to contact the Oilers if they hadn’t been contacted first.

If you think this hire is the same as the others, that’s on you.

 

[Aceboogie]

No, Holland’s hiring isn’t remotely comparable to the hiring of any GM since Sather left.

Kevin Lowe, who was an EIG pick, was offered the job publicly in the very same press conference to announce Sather was leaving the organization. He accepted the job within a week. Considering only a week had passed and Lowe had been offered the job immediately, it’s an easy assumption to make that no search was done and no other candidates were considered let alone interviewed.

Steve Tambellini was hired out of the blue. Nobody in the hockey world knew the Oilers were even looking for a GM. Given his relationship with Lowe from Hockey Canada it’s likely he was Lowe’s choice and nobody else was considered.

Craig Mactavish was brought back into the organization to do whatever it was he was doing almost a year before Tambellini was fired. That he was immediately announced as Tambellini’s replacement shows no search was done at all. He was their back up plan the day he returned.

Mactavish was never fired as GM. We heard rumours for a couple days that Chiarelli was in town and then we found out the Oilers had hired him.

The first common denominator in all these GM hires is that next to no time had passed between one GM being fired and the next one being hired. The second one is that nobody even knew the Oilers were actually looking for a GM.

Holland was hired four months after Chiarelli was fired and there was no shortage of names being tossed around. Everyone who may have been interested in the job had the opportunity to contact the Oilers if they hadn’t been contacted first.

If you think this hire is the same as the others, that’s on you.

There was media speculation on who could be available, not much reports about serious discussions. Holland was never publicly available until months after Chiarelli was fired. In fact, in was a matter of a week between when Holland was publicly (by creidble sources) available and us hiring him

Also, I am not going ot buy that the same owner responsible for the Mact/Tambo/Chiarelli hires and the President responsible for the Chiarelli hire- all of a sudden did a ton of due diligence and Holland was the best candidate (after just flaming out in Detriot). I wont make this about Holland, but I will say, I dont buy for one second we did due diligence on the latest GM hiring. People act like once Chiarelli got fired, all the organizational issues left with him. The issues run much deeper than the GM and the symptoms show p every time we make a front office hiring

 

[Aceboogie]

Another day another poster desperately clinging onto the OBC narrative because theyre too simple to digest and accept basic information from multitude of sources that contradict their own unsubstantiated beliefs.

In one corner we have 10 years of the worst run organization in major sports history- in the other we have objective thought. I know which corner I am going to stand in.

Its hilarious that so many who are throwing themsevles down to defend Holland were the same ones to defend Chiarelli (even as he made numerous horrible moves) and also were welcoming in Nicholson as a saviour back in 2015. I swear its like whenever the Oilers fire a really bad GM/President, and then hire the next batch which fit the exact mold- Oiler fans go "THIS time the organization figured it out, hurrah!"

The Oilers ownership and front office deserve full scepticism until they prove otherwise

 

[rboomercat90]

There was media speculation on who could be available, not much reports about serious discussions. Holland was never publicly available until months after Chiarelli was fired. In fact, in was a matter of a week between when Holland was publicly (by creidble sources) available and us hiring him

Also, I am not going ot buy that the same owner responsible for the Mact/Tambo/Chiarelli hires and the President responsible for the Chiarelli hire- all of a sudden did a ton of due diligence and Holland was the best candidate (after just flaming out in Detriot). I wont make this about Holland, but I will say, I dont buy for one second we did due diligence on the latest GM hiring. People act like once Chiarelli got fired, all the organizational issues left with him. The issues run much deeper than the GM and the symptoms show p every time we make a front office hiring

I’ve criticized this organization over the years for how they operate as much as anybody on this board has. I can see they did things differently this time.

As I pointed out, they’ve rushed into every GM hire they’ve made since Sather left. They had their guy in mind and hired him without considering anyone else and without anyway else even knowing they were looking. I believe they wanted to hire Keith Gretzky initially this time too but they didn’t. They realized a move like that wasn’t going to fly again so they took their time. They waited four months to make a hire. In that time everyone in the hockey world knew they were looking for a GM and anyone interested in the job had the opportunity to apply for it. That Holland was quickly hired after he became available is irrelevant. Before he was hired they had months to see who else was available. That’s what’s important. They gave themselves enough time to determine who they felt the best choice was.

 

[Stoneman89]

Late to this thread and not sure if already mentioned, but I thought I read a report that Chiapet was one of the people being considered for the vacant Wild job. Talk about jumping from the pot into the fire.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Another day another poster desperately clinging onto the OBC narrative because theyre too simple to digest and accept basic information from multitude of sources that contradict their own unsubstantiated beliefs.

we get it Kevin...it's everyone else's fault but you and your buddies

 

[Senor Catface]

There was media speculation on who could be available, not much reports about serious discussions. Holland was never publicly available until months after Chiarelli was fired. In fact, in was a matter of a week between when Holland was publicly (by creidble sources) available and us hiring him

Also, I am not going ot buy that the same owner responsible for the Mact/Tambo/Chiarelli hires and the President responsible for the Chiarelli hire- all of a sudden did a ton of due diligence and Holland was the best candidate (after just flaming out in Detriot). I wont make this about Holland, but I will say, I dont buy for one second we did due diligence on the latest GM hiring. People act like once Chiarelli got fired, all the organizational issues left with him. The issues run much deeper than the GM and the symptoms show p every time we make a front office hiring

There was multiple news stories saying otherwise.

Research.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

In one corner we have 10 years of the worst run organization in major sports history- in the other we have objective thought. I know which corner I am going to stand in.

Its hilarious that so many who are throwing themsevles down to defend Holland were the same ones to defend Chiarelli (even as he made numerous horrible moves) and also were welcoming in Nicholson as a saviour back in 2015. I swear its like whenever the Oilers fire a really bad GM/President, and then hire the next batch which fit the exact mold- Oiler fans go "THIS time the organization figured it out, hurrah!"

The Oilers ownership and front office deserve full scepticism until they prove otherwise

Lol, you’re not being objective when you have a clear axe to grind.

Especially when you make comments that aren’t founded like the Oilers rushed to hire Holland or that Katz is the worst owner in professional sports.

“Objective” yeah right. You have a clear bias and you try to play it off as though you’re the beacon of rational and objective thought.

 

[NegativeNelly]

Even if Katz relieved Lowe, both Gretzky's, and Howson, I'm sure some people would still believe the OBC was in charge.

 

[belair]

Another day another poster desperately clinging onto the OBC narrative because theyre too simple to digest and accept basic information from multitude of sources that contradict their own unsubstantiated beliefs.

The only basic information required is the Edmonton Oilers' draft and development record throughout that era. If you don't have the ability to fill jobs internally, you have to fill them through the UFA and trade markets.

Basic result of the poor drafting record? We don't have a heck of a lot of players that other teams value. And when we stepped up to the trade market, we were always the one buying.

That's as cut and dry as it gets. And that era of management owned one of the worst drafting records in professional sports.

 

[CanmoreMike]

He deserved to get fired after his first trade.

I don't care how much people try to pin the blame on others, he was the boss, it was his call and his subsequent moves both trades and signings showed he consistently made terrible decisions and no one was to blame for it except for him.

Okay, let’s jump in the way-back machine to draft day 2015 and fire Chiarelli for that move.

What does it change? If they find another GM and charge him to work with these same bozos who give bad advice and are a primary reason why this team has struggled for 10 years how long till that guy is fired too? When do they Boys on the Bus get shown the door?

This organization has been disorganized for so long that it was a recipe to fail regardless of who was in charge.

That has been my point from my first comment on.

Cheers

 

[BudBundy]

Chiarelli’s failures are all on Chiarelli. He followed the same MO in Boston as he did here, only worse. Lowe wasnt forcing him to trade Seguin. I dont doubt that our upper management is still a metric tonne if crap but Chia cannot get a free pass. Your name is on those deals and if you are being interfered with that badly, you resign. Remember when Charles Wang hired Neil Smith to right the Isles ship? What’d that last, like two months?

As for Fenton, I was pushing hard for him and I’m shocked how badly he’s been. Boy, was I wrong. For a guy who studied under Poile, he sure didnt manage like Poile.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Even if Katz relieved Lowe, both Gretzky's, and Howson, I'm sure some people would still believe the OBC was in charge.

Are you shocked? Some people still think Lowe works for the oilers

 

[Cloned]

Are you shocked? Some people still think Lowe works for the oilers

Technically he still does.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Technically he still does.

For the OEG, not the Edmonton oilers.

 

[Cloned]

For the OEG, not the Edmonton oilers.

If he's listed on the Oilers website, he's still working for the Oilers organization.