OT: You're the new owner of the Oilers...

[The Panther]

Chia has squandered trade assets/picks and handcuffed the team with so many poor contracts that an Oilers Cup winning roster is now probably forever out if reach barring a series of draft day miracles. The clown is still there, and now he is desperate. If you think thats all fine and dandy, you are allowed your opinion.

I'm not saying anything's "fine and dandy". There are fundamental problems, starting from the top down. I just say that I think people are over-reacting (as usual), stuck in the forest, missing the trees.

 

[Paralyzer]

I'd fire myself and let the organization burn. Then start anew.

 

[SomeDudeOTI]

I'd have a public burning party for the orange jerseys.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I think there's a lot of over-reaction here.

Next season will obviously tell the tale, but at this point I'm not overly concerned about the team. They're a season removed from a 2nd-place finish and a nice playoff run. I enjoyed them this season. McDavid is incredible and there are a lot of interesting players I look forward to following more.

Someone said: fire everyone, hope McDavid doesn't leave, and wait 5-6 years. Uh... what? Look, the team is 83-66-15 in the past two seasons. They're not actually that bad. They're stacked at the most important position -- center -- and are starting to develop a nice D-core, assuming everyone is healthy to start next season. They have the most exciting player in the world. The goaltender has had one bad season -- last year -- and is, all things considered, likely to bounce back to standard level next season. Players like Khaira, Nurse, and Bear have been developed very well.

People have also over-reacted to trades made, though certainly some have been poor. The obvious one -- the removal of Taylor Hall -- is always being quoted as "Hall for Larsson", which it wasn't. The trade was more accurately Hall for Larsson and winger (Lucic). Now, with Lucic having come off a horrendous season and Hall having his one truly great season, it looks bad in the here and now. But let's say, as is very likely, that Larsson bounces back to full health and performance next year. Then, let's say Lucic (who after all is only 29) bounces back to a solid 50-point season again. The trade is not so bad, and is in fact probably about even in simple player value, at that point. Strome and Eberle is similar, in that it's really Eberle for Strome plus freed-up cap space. (I like Strome, by the way, who is versatile and hustles out there.)

There's a lot of negativity around the team from the fanbase, and understandably so after a disappointing season, but I don't think firing everyone and starting from scratch is the solution. I also don't think the "old boys' club", per se, is a problem in itself. I mean, Montreal won about 18 Stanley Cups in 25 years or something with an "old boys' club" organization. Hiring ex-players is not necessarily a bad thing, and certainly serves to establish links for fans with the past and the present, which is good. The issue with the Oilers is that they don't seem to hire the right people at the right time, or they fail to establish the roles of people hired. Okay, they can fire Lowe, MacTavish (outstanding coach, btw), Gretzky, and Coffey tomorrow... and what? The team's suddenly going to be great overnight because some ex-players who have little to do with today's roster are gone? Doesn't work like that.

I personally think -- applying Occam's razor to the situation -- that the fundamental problem with the franchise over the past 15 years or whatever is Daryl Katz. At some point, when all coaches and managers, consecutively, for many years in a row, fail, you then have to go to the very top to find the one consistency that has been present throughout. It's him.

In that sense, I'm not optimistic because, let's face it, Katz isn't going anywhere anytime soon. But as far as the personnel on the team, I don't see any reason to foresee gloom & doom and to throw in the towel.

I don't understand your post because it goes full circle.

Starts out with optimism and then blames everything on Katz and "lets face it, Katz isn't going anywhere" despondency. There isn't any reason FOR Katz to go anywhere. Saved the team, bankrolls sufficient and beyond for the team to spend to cap every year, hire the most expensive managers, skimp at no cost whatsoever to help the team. Katz essentially writes this org a blank cheque every year and at worst is very much like an absentee owner. Just what he is. But several orgs succeed with that kind of ownership and some managers, CEO's actually relish the kind of autonomy and self responsibility it brings. You get a free slate to imprint your own blueprint, plans, mode of success and see it through without meddling interference. Most competent CEO's wish for that level of independent decision making.

I would say that Katz real "failure", if any, as an owner is hiring people that are supposed to be good like Nicholson that are said to be good at hockey ops and running large organizations but who are seemingly not as adept as self promoted. Basically 90% of this fanbase figured Nicholson was an ideal fit and strong enough character to right this ship (I didn't ftr). But how does it work for the fanbase to blame Katz for this hire (and subsequent bad hire decisions made by Nicholson) if the board and fanbase largely wanted the same guy hired? Katz basically made a populist move with his CEO hire and one that came highly recommended within hockey circles. In terms of CEO's to run an org this was said to be the guy. This was not an off the chart hire. He came as the MOST recommended person to run hockey Op's here or anywhere.

The key is that the actual hockey people running this org have done a poor job historically. I can see where Katz is a constant in that but it doesn't excuse that a series of GM's and coaches here have been self promoting charlatans of a type that are over abundant in NHL or hockey circles as compared to better run and managed prosports. Perhaps its Katz fault to be an owner in a league and sport where good NHL GM's and good coaches are rare commodities and not often, if ever, available.

Nah, Katz has one primary responsibility as a pro sports owner. To bankroll. He does that over and above. We have the highest paid management and coaches in hockey. That should be enough to entice good people. But again in the NHL hockey world at any given time there are maybe 5 really good managers out there and a dozen good coaches out there. But those people are often very set, and very secure where they are. Its not up to Katz to invent and train good OP's people, its not his fault they don't exist in NHL circles in any available abundance.

 

[Lacaar]

I would literally shit can everyone but the arena workers.

Burn down the 80's banners... apply to rename the team.
Trade everyone on the roster for draft picks.
Sign some ufa's to 1 year deals only. Trade for some rfa's and sign to 1 year deals. Team policy. You only ever get a 1 year deal. All players no exceptions.

It's not the name's on the Jerseys in todays NHL. It's not the talent or the salary.
It's 20 or so guys willing to play their nutz off and focus on a system. Superstars are useless when the other 18 players on the team play unmotivated let our superstar do the work hockey.

I'd spend all my resources on learning what is so damn depressing about playing hockey in Edmonton and find a way to fix it. Every player gets their own therapist? Bring in fake sunshine? open up high end shopping for the wives?

I dunno.. go Vegas or something.. try something else because we obviously can't compete with the sunbelt teams for player happiness.. which drives motivated play.

 

[Draiskull]

Where is the Gretzky option?

 

[nexttothemoon]

Sell the team for ~$800 million... buy several houses in peaceful/boring areas across the world and spend the rest of my life relaxing in those peaceful/boring areas.

 

[KingKhron]

Expansion team? Sell team? Just shut up. Sports is a frivolous tribal nonsense and all but just get lost. Watching McDavid is the greatest live experience I’ve known in hockey.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

It would be time to PARTY!

I'm old fashioned so I would also go out and find myself a young trophy wife. One I could trade in every 5 years. Life is short! Prenups of 50 mil should get that done.

Then it would be Nepotism at it's finest. All my friends and select family members would be given prime power positions where they could act cool and flaunt their stuff. We'd be the new middle aged brat pack.

I'd quickly get rid of a few of those luxury boxes and make myself a giant one. It would have an open bar and full access to whoever I chose to sit in the sections surrounding it. Pump out some heavy base and install some of those big rotating painted ball lights that cast those cool patterns on the walls. Perhaps a few strobe lights. Probably have to take out quite a few seats so people could mill about and dance a bit.

I would also introduce stripper cheerleaders. Give those poor beer drinking men in the upper levels something to keep them interested.

That would be a good start. I'm sure I would have other great ideas over time.

The league would remember me.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

I would put buy a LOT of stock in HTC and Occulus (facebook?)

Plugging VR Cameras at center ice, behind the goalie and above.

Broadcast all games in VR for free. Make trillions from VR stocks

 

[thadd]

I'd fire everyone and pay the NHL to find me a good president and GM, allow them to choose the rest of the staff.

 

[zcaptain]

Scorched earth policy..........clean house!

Gm by committee...........Steve Yzerman, Cam Neely and Dale Tallon (pay big to get the best)

Trade our 2018 1st round pick + Milan Lucic 50% retained
for
Chris Tanev 50% retained + Sven Baertschi + 2019 2nd Rounder

Lower beer prices 50%

 

[Aceboogie]

Fire Bob Nicholson 5 seconds in, fire Chiarelli 10 seconds in. Banish all former Oilers from management position. Invest $5 million into building the biggest powerhouse analytics department in the NHL. Something akin to what the 76ers/Spurs are doing in the NBA. I would have a mandate to acquire the one of the top analytics darlings each year (last year would have been Marchassualt, this year Athanasiou). I would also have a mandate to utilize offer sheets whenever logical

I would search under every rock in the AHL/Euro/NHL assistant GMs to find the best candidate. Don't care about big names or former players. Would likely settle on Dubas and offer him a boat load of money. Offer a boatload of money to get Yzerman to be President of Hockey Ops. I would also search high and low for the best coach, likely Todd Nelson again as he works great with younger players

 

[EDMOILERS9729]

I would sell the team. Buy the Flames. RELOCATE THEM TO f***ING VENEZUELA. Then reaquire the Oilers. It's simple as that.

 

[KingKhron]

It’s hard to find a thread without a lot of shots at STH’s. If it didn’t steal my joy, I’d like to see us all not be such “idiots” and see how you felt when they folded during the decade of darkness. It’s almost this pervasive blame on people who pay for those tickets while others are so very clever as to only watch from home, as if the arena was empty, somehow the owner on down would magical make the right changes and all would be right. I’d suggest cheering for a second team as well as the Oilers, like Florida or Carolina where very few idiots even spend a small amount on the team.

 

[KingKhron]

Wow, I wrote something in this before? That reads like a pretty drunk me. I guess I’ll try and feel good about words being spelled right...

 

[Aerrol]

Looks like Fenton is going to be hired by Minnesota. There's one popular choice gone.

 

[Porkleaker]

I'd fire everyone from the bottom up, I mean even the janitorial staff, concession stand people, zamboni drivers, everyone gets the axe.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

You fire Chiarelli, who are your top candidates for the GM position?

- Paul Fenton (NSH)
- Julien BriesBois (TB)
- Kyle Dubas (TOR)
- Dean Lombardi (FA)
- Bill Guerin (PIT)
- Any others

I'm putting this out cause I don't feel Chiarelli is the guy to lead this team, as I'm sure most, if not all of you, feel the same way. So if you had control and were able to hire someone, who would it be?

If I own the team I don’t fire Chiarelli. I fire MacTavish, Lowe, Howson, Green and any scouts that worked for the OBC. I replace the OBC with experienced well respected hockey men and some younger up and comers.

I ensure the scouting staff, rebuilt under K Gretzky has eyes and feet on the ground in every junior market region, NHL region, and European region. I also hire the best coaches and development staff money can buy and I make sure the players families are looked after like no other NHL team is including a private jet, schooling, etc - whatever it takes to offset our geographical and tax disadvantages.

I also tell my in game entertainment staff to go to Vegas and Nashville and bottle that.

I assume this is another Fire Chia thread disguised as a separate thread however.

 

[Captain Controversy]

First do an evaluation process. I would interview every employ having to do with the on ice product. I would then give them a false sense of hope. (like we have had) I would then Fire their ass into the sun.
I would then apologize to the fans for what we have had to endure over the past 10 years.
I would hire whoever manages Disney/marvel. So the product is entertaining.
Ryan Smith would be hired as a mentor of heart and soul.
I would pay to have drew remenda fired.
I would pay bob Mackenzie to be the GM.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I would move the team to Seattle.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

extend Remenda and then rename the team the Edmonton "Remenda is a f***ing clown"s

 

[McClelland]

I would bring back 2 GMs, McT as the buy and sell guy and that big smiling Tambellini for the lottery!

Eakins will be headchef of the ping pong recretation center and Lowe will be a security gard of his own monter at Rogers place, where he shows his 6 stanley cup rings for 1st tier fans!

 

[McShogun99]

Fire anyone that thought it was a good idea to trade for Reinhart.

 

[cashinstinct]

I would ask GM to get rid of overpaid players like I did in NHL18 video game and chose Edmonton:
-Lucic
-Sekera
-Russell

But, like Marc Bergevin says:
My reality, it might not be the same as the PlayStation that I play at night. I made a trade last night (on PlayStation), called the GM this morning and he hung up on me.
http://www.hockeyinsideout.com/news/my-philosophy-will-not-change-canadiens-gm-bergevin-says