Top GM Replacements

[KCC]

If Bobby can land Kelly McCrimmon that will be a large step in the right direction.

 

[Soundwave]

If Bobby can land Kelly McCrimmon that will be a large step in the right direction.

On what basis though do we know what Kelly McCrimmon can do though? Dude had zero experience in the NHL as of two years ago. I dunno. At least Hunter has a bit more experience and was tutored by Lamorillo, who's about as experienced as it gets.

There's no expansion draft for us to pluck decent players from either.

 

[PecnoTrunk]

Burke or Hextall for me

Burke? you mean the same burke who constructed the last SLOW Olympic team that lost to Germany ? no thanks

 

[Jarvi]

We should try and poach Pat Verbeek from Tampa. McCrimmon is too inexperienced in this league for my liking. Let Seattle have him.

And good thing we won't get Hunter. It's much harder to bribe players to play for you in the NHL.

 

[McBooya42]

Except he helped cripple the franchise by not doing this the first time? I know that isn't what you are saying but it is frightening to think a guy all of a sudden gets an epiphany and is sharper now to do all the right things. Also, if anyone here thinks the candidate will be someone that can just clear out the mess that has taken 20 years to make, sadly we are all in for a disappointment.

When this guy is hired, the following will still be employed:

Craig MacTavish
Bob Green
Duane Sutter
Keith Gretzky
Bill Scott
Rick Carriere
Scott Howson

Some or all of these guys said to Trade a first and a second for Griff. Trade Hall, Trade Eberle, Sign Mikko, Trade Caggiula, Sign Russell, Sign Lucic....

The rebuild should start from within and Bob is not likely to address it.

Keep in mind he had already worked with Chia and hockey (team) Canada.

 

[Aceboogie]

A question from a Finn with no attachments to Edmonton:

Would you Oilers fans entertain the idea of Jarmo Kekäläinen if CBJ cans him immediately after their season has ended?

Pros:
- a long career among NHL scouting with a solid track record
- no bull **** attitude
- team Finland will happily hire him to any position he desires if the obc does not let him do his job = Jarmo has an everlasting back up plan/exit strategy. What I mean by this, is that he most likely would not become a puppet.
- trade happy and imaginative in his trades

Cons:
- no bull **** attitude, likes his tortorellas and hard love approaches
- stubborn
- trade happy to the extent that a catastrophy might be just around the corner

I just want someone like Dubas or Chayka. Someone who says "you know what, I actually do understand that drafting is largely luck and very few have shown repetitive skill at it, so we are either going to trade down and acquire more picks and/or trade our 2nd/3rd round picks at the TDL for established vets because there is a market inefficiency there"

or

"I am actually going to stay out of the UFA frenzy this summer because 3 of the most hyped guys shot 20% last year and are all 29 years old with declining underlying numbers"

or

"Hey, lets acquire this depth player with amazing underlying numbers for cheap and try him out in our bottom 6 or give a shot in the top 6, our bottom 6 doesnt need to be filled with coke machines"

or

"Offersheets are actually underpriced right now and I will go out and acquire my 22 year old top pairing RHD by use of a offersheet and only sacrfice future picks. And I do not subscribe to the outllandsih scare tactic other GMs will relitate, because they do not"

As far as a I am concerned, Hextall, McCrimmon etc are all just another round of Tambo/MacT/Chiarelli. They all think the exact same way, that was the era they all grew up in. I dont care how long a person has been around pro hockey, if those years were spent learning outdated and flawed ways of thinking about hockey

The same issues that plague NHL GMs also plague Corporate America. Exectuvies and Upper Management all think the same, then develop the same, and then promote people that think like them. They are so biased and blind and then surprised when a fresh thinker comes up with AirBnB or Uber and they act like this totally mystifying. The new crop of fresh thinking GMs is going to take advantage of the old school guys. So id rather be on the taking advantage of end, not vice versa

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

I just want someone like Dubas or Chayka. Someone who says "you know what, I actually do understand that drafting is largely luck and very few have shown repetitive skill at it, so we are either going to trade down and acquire more picks and/or trade our 2nd/3rd round picks at the TDL for established vets because there is a market inefficiency there"

or

"I am actually going to stay out of the UFA frenzy this summer because 3 of the most hyped guys shot 20% last year and are all 29 years old with declining underlying numbers"

or

"Hey, lets acquire this depth player with amazing underlying numbers for cheap and try him out in our bottom 6 or give a shot in the top 6, our bottom 6 doesnt need to be filled with coke machines"

or

"Offersheets are actually underpriced right now and I will go out and acquire my 22 year old top pairing RHD by use of a offersheet and only sacrfice future picks. And I do not subscribe to the outllandsih scare tactic other GMs will relitate, because they do not"

As far as a I am concerned, Hextall, McCrimmon etc are all just another round of Tambo/MacT/Chiarelli. They all think the exact same way, that was the era they all grew up in. I dont care how long a person has been around pro hockey, if those years were spent learning outdated and flawed ways of thinking about hockey

The same issues that plague NHL GMs also plague Corporate America. Exectuvies and Upper Management all think the same, then develop the same, and then promote people that think like them. They are so biased and blind and then surprised when a fresh thinker comes up with AirBnB or Uber and they act like this totally mystifying. The new crop of fresh thinking GMs is going to take advantage of the old school guys. So id rather be on the taking advantage of end, not vice versa

what the heck has Chayka done so great? he pissed away Domi and Strome

don't let this late-season heater from Darcy Kuemper fool you, they're the Florida Panthers of this season

 

[Aceboogie]

what the heck has Chayka done so great? he pissed away Domi and Strome

don't let this late-season heater from Darcy Kuemper fool you, they're the Florida Panthers of this season

Lol. not this again

1. The team has had some of the worst injuries in the NHL this season. They lost their starting #1 goalie for starters.
2. He replaced Strome with Schmaltz, who had 5 goals and 14 points in 17 games prior to injury. He replaced Domi with Galchenyuk. Domi is on an insane hot streak luck wise this year. Hell crash back next year

Now the actual important discussion: why is Chayka (or a GM like him) a good GM. Chayka is a fresh thinker

-He goes out and indentifies Jorden friggin Osterle is a good NHL D. Like who the hell knew of Osterle outside of Edmonton. Osterle was a good D here. No surprise to see him break out this year. He then also indeitfied Hinostroza. Another solid middle line player. Lesson: He can actually indentify good, under-utilized players
-He actually can get top 4 D for cheap like Goligoski, Hjmarlsson and Demers. He doesnt have the magic ability to keep them healthy, but he actually identifies top 4 D with skill and can get them. He is not blinded by defensive D like plenty other GMs
-Hes not scared to make moves. He has no hesitation to pull the trigger to land a top 6 center, starting goalie or 3 top 4 D. Or to trade away young high picks for other young players

Give me a GM who 1) can identify good underrated players 2) Have the ability to bring in good D 3) not be afraid to make moves (and good ones) and that guy has a spot as my GM all day

And no offense, but you were one of Chiarelli's biggest defenders for along time. So I would really question your ability to assess a GMs ability. I am not good at it either, but I know the exact type of GM I dont want. And a majority of the Gms discussed here are the exact mold. They are Tambos and Chiarellies redux

 

[snipes]

Burke? you mean the same burke who constructed the last SLOW Olympic team that lost to Germany ? no thanks

Not Sean. Brian

 

[frag2]

Not Sean. Brian

Brian was on Oilers now yesterday and flat out said he's content with his post-Flames POHO life now. Can spend time with family. I guess people have been asking him about the Oil

Then again, these figures always say shit like that

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Lol. not this again

1. The team has had some of the worst injuries in the NHL this season. They lost their starting #1 goalie for starters.

so? every team has injuries..yes, he did get Kuemper but he's on a heater

2. He replaced Strome with Schmaltz, who had 5 goals and 14 points in 17 games prior to injury. He replaced Domi with Galchenyuk. Domi is on an insane hot streak luck wise this year. Hell crash back next year

Schmaltz is just as likely to have had his hot streak last year as Domi is this year though
Strome is better and has more potential than Schmaltz IMO
Domi is flat-out a better and younger player than Galchenyuk

Now the actual important discussion: why is Chayka (or a GM like him) a good GM. Chayka is a fresh thinker

-He goes out and indentifies Jorden friggin Osterle is a good NHL D. Like who the hell knew of Osterle outside of Edmonton. Osterle was a good D here. No surprise to see him break out this year. He then also indeitfied Hinostroza. Another solid middle line player. Lesson: He can actually indentify good, under-utilized players

so can lots of other teams like the Hawks with Gustafson...Chayka isn't alone

​

-He actually can get top 4 D for cheap like Goligoski, Hjmarlsson and Demers. He doesnt have the magic ability to keep them healthy, but he actually identifies top 4 D with skill and can get them. He is not blinded by defensive D like plenty other GMs

Hjalmarsson is the epitome of a defensive defenseman...plus he gave a younger and cheaper defenseman is get an older defensive d-man
and he gave up a decent player in McGinn to get Demers

And no offense, but you were one of Chiarelli's biggest defenders for along time. So I would really question your ability to assess a GMs ability. I am not good at it either, but I know the exact type of GM I dont want. And a majority of the Gms discussed here are the exact mold. They are Tambos and Chiarellies redux

well he did build a powerhouse in Boston that won at least 40 games every year he was there except 1, including 2 trips to the Finals and 1 Cup...unfortunately the game changed and his philosophy of "big and heavy" was leaving the game but he was too stubborn to change with it...then he doubled down on stupid move after stupid move

Chayka has made some good moves like drafting Keller and some bad moves like the Strome and Domi trades but he's vastly overrated at this point
-they've never finished above .500 under his tenure (until this year)
-he hasn't built a playoff team

until he's builds a legit playoff team than he's nothing great or innovative...all I see is a lot of deck shuffling (at the moment)

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Chayka is probably overrated, but he's not going to be Edmonton's GM (I suspect if they tossed money at him he'd leave Arizona pretty quick, but...), either way.

Who is the best choice at this point? McCrimmon seems to be the best choice, but I'm not basing that on much else other then he seems due for a full time gig.

 

[forecheck]

Lol. not this again

1. The team has had some of the worst injuries in the NHL this season. They lost their starting #1 goalie for starters.
2. He replaced Strome with Schmaltz, who had 5 goals and 14 points in 17 games prior to injury. He replaced Domi with Galchenyuk. Domi is on an insane hot streak luck wise this year. Hell crash back next year

Now the actual important discussion: why is Chayka (or a GM like him) a good GM. Chayka is a fresh thinker

-He goes out and indentifies Jorden friggin Osterle is a good NHL D. Like who the hell knew of Osterle outside of Edmonton. Osterle was a good D here. No surprise to see him break out this year. He then also indeitfied Hinostroza. Another solid middle line player. Lesson: He can actually indentify good, under-utilized players
-He actually can get top 4 D for cheap like Goligoski, Hjmarlsson and Demers. He doesnt have the magic ability to keep them healthy, but he actually identifies top 4 D with skill and can get them. He is not blinded by defensive D like plenty other GMs
-Hes not scared to make moves. He has no hesitation to pull the trigger to land a top 6 center, starting goalie or 3 top 4 D. Or to trade away young high picks for other young players

Give me a GM who 1) can identify good underrated players 2) Have the ability to bring in good D 3) not be afraid to make moves (and good ones) and that guy has a spot as my GM all day

And no offense, but you were one of Chiarelli's biggest defenders for along time. So I would really question your ability to assess a GMs ability. I am not good at it either, but I know the exact type of GM I dont want. And a majority of the Gms discussed here are the exact mold. They are Tambos and Chiarellies redux

I think Rick Tochett has more to do with the turn around then Chayka

 

[PaPaDee]

Lol. not this again

1. The team has had some of the worst injuries in the NHL this season. They lost their starting #1 goalie for starters.
2. He replaced Strome with Schmaltz, who had 5 goals and 14 points in 17 games prior to injury. He replaced Domi with Galchenyuk. Domi is on an insane hot streak luck wise this year. Hell crash back next year

Now the actual important discussion: why is Chayka (or a GM like him) a good GM. Chayka is a fresh thinker

-He goes out and indentifies Jorden friggin Osterle is a good NHL D. Like who the hell knew of Osterle outside of Edmonton. Osterle was a good D here. No surprise to see him break out this year. He then also indeitfied Hinostroza. Another solid middle line player. Lesson: He can actually indentify good, under-utilized players
-He actually can get top 4 D for cheap like Goligoski, Hjmarlsson and Demers. He doesnt have the magic ability to keep them healthy, but he actually identifies top 4 D with skill and can get them. He is not blinded by defensive D like plenty other GMs
-Hes not scared to make moves. He has no hesitation to pull the trigger to land a top 6 center, starting goalie or 3 top 4 D. Or to trade away young high picks for other young players

Give me a GM who 1) can identify good underrated players 2) Have the ability to bring in good D 3) not be afraid to make moves (and good ones) and that guy has a spot as my GM all day

And no offense, but you were one of Chiarelli's biggest defenders for along time. So I would really question your ability to assess a GMs ability. I am not good at it either, but I know the exact type of GM I dont want. And a majority of the Gms discussed here are the exact mold. They are Tambos and Chiarellies redux

And yet, it’s likely he’ll miss the playoffs again.

 

[3IR]

so? every team has injuries..yes, he did get Kuemper but he's on a heater

Schmaltz is just as likely to have had his hot streak last year as Domi is this year though
Strome is better and has more potential than Schmaltz IMO
Domi is flat-out a better and younger player than Galchenyuk


so can lots of other teams like the Hawks with Gustafson...Chayka isn't alone

​

Hjalmarsson is the epitome of a defensive defenseman...plus he gave a younger and cheaper defenseman is get an older defensive d-man
and he gave up a decent player in McGinn to get Demers




well he did build a powerhouse in Boston that won at least 40 games every year he was there except 1, including 2 trips to the Finals and 1 Cup...unfortunately the game changed and his philosophy of "big and heavy" was leaving the game but he was too stubborn to change with it...then he doubled down on stupid move after stupid move

Chayka has made some good moves like drafting Keller and some bad moves like the Strome and Domi trades but he's vastly overrated at this point
-they've never finished above .500 under his tenure (until this year)
-he hasn't built a playoff team

until he's builds a legit playoff team than he's nothing great or innovative...all I see is a lot of deck shuffling (at the moment)

it's so annoying when people look at these trades a year later out of context and call them bad moves...

Both players needed a change of scenery and were not going to succeed where they were. He traded them for two guys who were as, or more productive that could also use a change of scenery. Those were good hockey trades, where both teams got better. Just because the guy they traded is more productive than the one they received a year later doesn't mean it's a bad trade.

If those are all you can think of for "bad moves", I think your gm expectations are disgustingly high. They aren't psychic, they need to do what's best for their club at any given time, and he absolutely did that.

I don't really have strong feelings on Chayka, as I find comparing other GMs to the ones we've had is depressing, so I won't comment on how good of a gm he is overall, but those trades were the furthest thing from bad.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

it's so annoying when people look at these trades a year later out of context and call them bad moves...

Both players needed a change of scenery and were not going to succeed where they were. He traded them for two guys who were as, or more productive that could also use a change of scenery. Those were good hockey trades, where both teams got better. Just because the guy they traded is more productive than the one they received a year later doesn't mean it's a bad trade.

If those are all you can think of for "bad moves", I think your gm expectations are disgustingly high. They aren't psychic, they need to do what's best for their club at any given time, and he absolutely did that.

I don't really have strong feelings on Chayka, as I find comparing other GMs to the ones we've had is depressing, so I won't comment on how good of a gm he is overall, but those trades were the furthest thing from bad.

I don't get the Stepan trade...yes he got Raanta as well but he gave a 1st rounder and a good prospect in Anthony Deangelo...Stepan hasn't live up to expectations and Raanta can't stay healthy...that's a loss

the Hjalmarsson trade isn't great either...all he did is trade for a 30 year old defensive defenseman with a ton of miles and gave up a younger player with some offense

again, he may be a good GM...but until his team proves it on the ice with winning games, he's can't be considered a GM we need

 

[Soundwave]

My worry with McCrimmon is he has 0 track record with building a team under normal circumstances. He's been in the NHL for two seasons, but there is no expansion draft for the Oilers here where we can just load up on depth.

How do you know if he handle a roster making trades, signings, etc.

If he is the hire I think there has to be an experienced President of the Hockey Ops who has served as a GM before coming with him (probably ditto for Hunter).

We can't really afford to have a "oopsie! I did blow the 2019 draft for the Oilers, but I was new and learning on the job" because as we've seen, we're still probably haunted to this day by sloppy work at the 2015 draft. Those things have long term repercussions.

 

[MikeYEG]

I know it's a pipedream, but here's my 2 cents...

I don't care too much about names, I just want a competent GM who has total freedom and can fire the OBC idiots. I know there's nearly zero chance of this happening, and this win streak and "run" for the playoffs is making it more likely it'll be just some minor tweaks and KGretzky will be the new GM/puppet. I shudder to think of it.

 

[BigTime99]

It's funny how in other leagues coaches and management from a playoff bound team can be hired by another team. I don't get why the nhl is so reluctant.

 

[Soundwave]

I know it's a pipedream, but here's my 2 cents...

I don't care too much about names, I just want a competent GM who has total freedom and can fire the OBC idiots. I know there's nearly zero chance of this happening, and this win streak and "run" for the playoffs is making it more likely it'll be just some minor tweaks and KGretzky will be the new GM/puppet. I shudder to think of it.

If the next GM does not understand that things like Hall for Larsson or trading the Reinhart pick for the 16th overall is stupid ... we are in deep shit no matter what.

Part of the GM's job, a major part of it actually, is understanding when an idea is a bad idea and being the person that says "no, we're not doing that". That's not an "optional" part of the job.

 

[justafan22]

Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson says new GM search will be long process - Sportsnet.ca

“The best way to put it is that Bob Nicholson is still in information-gathering mode,” said Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston during the ‘Headlines’ segment of Hockey Night in Canada. “Down at the general managers meetings he had some lengthy conversations with various people in hockey and it sounds like, if anything, his list is growing instead of shrinking at this point in terms of potential candidates.”

“I think the organization is very comfortable with where they’re at with interim GM Keith Gretzky,” said Johnston. “Don’t be surprised if this goes on for some period of time while they work through all the various things that have to happen before they make a full-time hire.” Added Elliotte Friedman about Gretzky: “I think he will be part of this process and I think the organization does consider him to be a very valuable piece of where they’re going.” And in case there was any fear that Nicholson might decide to jump ship while the Oilers once again go through a period of transition, have no fear about that, Friedman says — he’s dedicated to righting things in Edmonton.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson says new GM search will be long process - Sportsnet.ca

The way I read these tea leaves is they're not hiring anyone until they've had a chance to interview McCrimmon, which won't be until sometime in April or mid June.

 

[justafan22]

The way I read these tea leaves is they're not hiring anyone until they've had a chance to interview McCrimmon, which won't be until sometime in April or mid June.

Certainly seems like it.

I'd guess it's McCrimmon or they promote Gretzky.

 

[Oscar Acosta]

The line of “in case there is any fear Nicholson will move along” made me laugh.

I don’t think anyone had fear of that, more wishful thinking but nobody is afraid he will one day leave the Oilers. They really are full of themselves.

 

[oilersrule14]

it's so annoying when people look at these trades a year later out of context and call them bad moves...

Both players needed a change of scenery and were not going to succeed where they were. He traded them for two guys who were as, or more productive that could also use a change of scenery. Those were good hockey trades, where both teams got better. Just because the guy they traded is more productive than the one they received a year later doesn't mean it's a bad trade.

If those are all you can think of for "bad moves", I think your gm expectations are disgustingly high. They aren't psychic, they need to do what's best for their club at any given time, and he absolutely did that.

I don't really have strong feelings on Chayka, as I find comparing other GMs to the ones we've had is depressing, so I won't comment on how good of a gm he is overall, but those trades were the furthest thing from bad.

Ya, they weren't succeeding in Arizona, but why? It's not like they took some time to catch fire in Montreal and Chicago respectively, they started succeeding in their new homes from their very first game. That tells me Chayka has either built a garbage team around these young offensive players, or it's the coaching strategy. I don't know enough about Arizona to tell you which, but even if it's the coach then the proper move would have been to make a change there. The trades look bad on Chayka because he couldn't find a way for these players to succeed in the desert when they obviously had the skill to do so.