The last time Chicago was here, Todd was the coach and we dominated them, shut them out 4-0. A couple months later, under a Htich, they're the ones who dominate and level us 6-2
Ever since he took over, we have been getting outshot, outchanced and outclassed almost every single game. The 9-2-2 start was primarily on Mikko Koskinen playing like a God, which has now come back down to earth; couple with the 'new coach' effect, which has died weeks ago.
I was one of the guys calling for Todd's head, but honestly, if he was still here, we're likely in a wildcard position. It almost seems that they should've just let Gulutzan take over. Hitch's style of hockey is outdated, and is not at all suited for this roster.
When you call out your team, your goalie, almost every single post game interview, of course their belief in you has dwindled. We all know the problems with the roster, but as the head coach, your job is to stick up for the players in that room, motivate them, and instill a strong belief system. Taking out Connor, Leon and Nuge in a practice, and making the rest of team bag skate as punishment, destroys the culture and team mentality. I bet those 3 hated that they had to leave their teammates behind.
They were right:
The worst thing the Oilers could do is fire Todd McLellan - Sportsnet.ca