Chiarelli to Edmonton

[redfire11]

If Chiarelli is given some freedom to rid Edmonton of the cancers of KLowe amd Mact things could change in the Battle of Alberta.

 

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=764922&navid=nhl:topheads

[DirtyDeeds]

If Chiarelli is given some freedom to rid Edmonton of the cancers of KLowe amd Mact things could change in the Battle of Alberta.

 

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=764922&navid=nhl:topheads

There are many more things wrong with the Oilers than just Klowe and MacT.

 

The scouting dept is terrible. You can have awesome #1 picks but if you do not surround them with decent drafted players you are screwed. Take a look at how many of their own Non-first round picks they have playing for their team.......... Someone?? anyone ???

 

The team was built backwards. They should have built goal out.. ATM they have no #1 Goalie and No top D.

 

Even competent people in charge would have trouble fixing this Oiler mess. Not impossible but a huge undertaking.

[travel_dude]

There are many more things wrong with the Oilers than just Klowe and MacT.

 

The scouting dept is terrible. You can have awesome #1 picks but if you do not surround them with decent drafted players you are screwed. Take a look at how many of their own Non-first round picks they have playing for their team.......... Someone?? anyone ???

 

The team was built backwards. They should have built goal out.. ATM they have no #1 Goalie and No top D.

 

Even competent people in charge would have trouble fixing this Oiler mess. Not impossible but a huge undertaking.

 

You are so correct Deeds.  Replacing Klowe and LaForge is step one, but the GM has to go.  McDavid is a nice piece to have, but they need so much more. I would not trust MacT or their scouts/coaches/staff with anything from here on in. Bring in a new GM and let him make some serious moves to right the ship. Trade as many players that are the problem as possible. Interview prospects for character, not just skill. Look at FA's that have qualities you want going forward (character, teamwork, leadership). Make trades that make sense, and don't expect to win every trade.

[JTech780]

Chiarelli is a good GM. He doesn't have the best draft record, but I think the draft has less to do with the GM and more to do with the scouts.

The Oilers are actually starting to take steps in the right direction. Hiring Bob Nicholson was a great move by them, and now moving out Lowe and MacTavish. They are moving towards being relavent again.

[Wrek]

It's almost like this was their plan all along... 

 

I have lost every ounce of respect i've had for that team, I couldn't careless if they were the only Canadian team in the play-offs, That place deserves to burn. 

[The_People1]

Somehow, they are retaining MacT in the organization. 

 

I can't find an article that says Lowe is officially fired.  Is he?

[JTech780]

Somehow, they are retaining MacT in the organization.

I can't find an article that says Lowe is officially fired. Is he?

Chiarelli is going to talk to MacTavish and see where he fits. My guess is Chiarelli will tell him to watch the games from his house and send his scouting reports to a fake email address.

Lowe wasn't fired, he moved over to the non hockey side of Oilers Entertainment. He was the POHO, but Chiarelli basically took over both Lowe and MacTavish's jobs.

[conundrumed]

Chiarelli is a good GM. He doesn't have the best draft record, but I think the draft has less to do with the GM and more to do with the scouts.

The Oilers are actually starting to take steps in the right direction. Hiring Bob Nicholson was a great move by them, and now moving out Lowe and MacTavish. They are moving towards being relavent again.

I agree. They are following what we did with Burke. I guess MacTavish news should come next week, he's kinda the asst GM without portfolio atm lol.

[StarkRaving]

The Oilers just took a big step toward legitimacy.  They put two good hockey men at the top of the heap and are going to start stripping away the dead wood.

 

The Flames may still have two more years of pushing around a weaker sister.  After that, the Battle of Alberta should start to get real interesting.

 

My prediction: in five years, people are going to be talking about Death Valley again. 

[kehatch]

Chiarelli is going to talk to MacTavish and see where he fits. My guess is Chiarelli will tell him to watch the games from his house and send his scouting reports to a fake email address.

Lowe wasn't fired, he moved over to the non hockey side of Oilers Entertainment. He was the POHO, but Chiarelli basically took over both Lowe and MacTavish's jobs.

Keeping those guys is a mistake. They deserve to be fired. Katz is sticking with his boys club. That leads to interoffice politics. Katz is one of the problems, and this reeks of his unwillingness to let things go.

This is a step in the right direction. Three steps forward, but an unnecessary two steps back at the same time. Good for us.

[The_People1]

It's almost like this was their plan all along... 

 

I have lost every ounce of respect i've had for that team, I couldn't careless if they were the only Canadian team in the play-offs, That place deserves to burn. 

 

That's the plan.

 

1. Put in dummies to amass as many #1 overall picks as possible.

2. Fire the dummies.

3. Bring in hockey smart people to build around the #1 picks.

 

This in theory, if done right, could make the Oilers a dynasty in the future.  Hope they fail of course.

[Wreckening]

Lowe stays on as Vice-Chair of Oilers Entertainment Group. Much like Ken King`s role. They`re finding a role for MacT. Chiarelli has been given full autonomy to do his work as GM.

 

Personally I feel like this is the turning point for the Oilers. The fact that MacT and Lowe are still around speaks volumes of their relationship with Katz but I don`t think they will be meddling in the day to day stuff. I can see Nicholson putting the kibosh on that real quick.

 

The Oilers today took a huge step towards legitimacy. Now they need scouts, coaches and veteran players to provide the leadership this team needs. Kudos to their organization. 

[Wrek]

How can you even give kudo's to their organization... If Edmonton didnt win yet ANOTHER lottery all this would be happening in Buffalo or Carolina or Toronto ect. 

 

McDavid is the catalyst that was going to make this happen, and of all places for him to go Edmonton is the worst.

[JTech780]

How can you even give kudo's to their organization... If Edmonton didnt win yet ANOTHER lottery all this would be happening in Buffalo or Carolina or Toronto ect.

McDavid is the catalyst that was going to make this happen, and of all places for him to go Edmonton is the worst.

Nicholson and Chiarelli taking over the hockey operations in Edmonton is a bigger deal than getting Connor McDavid. If Edmonton turns the corner it will be because of those 2 not McDavid.

[JTech780]

The scary part of this is that both Chiarelli and Nicholson have worked with Mike Babcock in the past. If they can get Babcock to go to Edmonton, that gives them another strong hockey person to help them turn the corner.

[Wrek]

Nicholson and Chiarelli taking over the hockey operations in Edmonton is a bigger deal than getting Connor McDavid. If Edmonton turns the corner it will be because of those 2 not McDavid.

 

Everyone wants to work for the NHL team that has Connor McDavid, so he was the catalyst. Do you honestly like Chiarelli would want to come to Edmonton if that didn't happen. It's not like Edmonton just magically became a better place to work at.

 

All of this change literally happened after the draft lottery. 

[JTech780]

Everyone wants to work for the NHL team that has Connor McDavid, so he was the catalyst. Do you honestly like Chiarelli would want to come to Edmonton if that didn't happen. It's not like Edmonton just magically became a better place to work at.

All of this change literally happened after the draft lottery.

Chiarelli and Nicholson have worked together in the past as part of Team Canada. I think Chiarelli would have taken the job in Edmonton regardless.

[Wrek]

Yeah... make edmonton even more of a buddies club... lmao.

 

I have no doubt if McDavid landed in Toronto, these things wouldn't be happening to Edmonton as fast as it is now.

[StarkRaving]

I'm inclined to agree with Wrek, at least in terms of timing.  I'm sure Nicholson wanted to get a new management team in place, but winning the lottery made it urgent that they get the right people in place before the draft.  Obviously, their first pick is a no-brainer, but after that, they need to make some hockey moves.

 

After the press conference, I had a look at the Oilers' depth chart and their salary cap situation.  If I was Chiarelli, I'd be hyperventilating right now.   

[Carty]

[Flyerfan52]

Nobody expected Boston to miss the playoffs. That was the reason Chiarelli was axed.

 

It wasn't smart maneuvering by Katz but a fluke of events. However, since they lucked into a GM better than anyone they've had in decades the combination of Chiarelli & winning(?) the loser lottery isn't going to give them a D line nor make their former 1/1 picks realize there is more than 1 zone. With the cap reamaining static @ best a $6 player signed long term that is 1 dimentional still doesn't look that good even if he was a 1st OA.

 

Chiarelli gets the kind of cap mess Hextall has to clean up.

 

Oilers are close to setting the record for most years without sniffing the play-offs. They'll surpass that mark by a few years soon enough.

**************************************************************************************

Chia brings credibility & is someone others will trade with but has to change a 1 dimentional team to one where plays forget entitlement. A team with 0 defense anywhere that hangs goalies out to dry.

If/when he trades 1 of the golden boys the fan base will cry that he sold them for peanuts even if it results in a better team.

I guess a long term losser with all those high picks seemed a better choice then Toronto. (Only 2 I think are in the market for a GM)

[CheersMan]

I laugh out loud every time I see this.  Next!!!!

I’m not sold on this Chiarelli hiring.  Did he not just get fired by the Bruins just 9 days ago?  Did his Bruins make the playoffs this year?  Did he leave the Bruins in salary cap hell?  Will the Bruins be contenders next year?

 

Yes Chiarelli won the SC in 2011, but let’s have a look at that team and how it was built.

The core was Krejci, Bergeron, Lucic, Marchand, Chara and Thomas.  Sure there were many role/support players, but at the time players were lining up to get in there.

 

Krejci, Bergeron and Thomas were already Bruins before Chiarelli got there.

 

Lucic and Marchand were drafted by the Bruins a month after he got there, so how much input he had in those 2 picks (50th and 71st) in such short order is any one guess.  Chances are he had no input and left it in the hands of the scouts.

 

Chara was somewhat of a gift.  Chara’s contract expired with Ottawa at the same time Chiarelli (Ottawa AGM) bolted to Boston for GM position in summer of 2006.  At the time, Ottawa’s two top 2 dmen were Reden and Chara, OTT was forced to pick one only, due to financial concerns.  OTT made a CRITICAL error and choose Reden, allowing Chara to walk.  Chiarelli had the inside track on Chara (since he just served there) and quickly snapped him up in FA.  I don’t think a player of Chara’s quality has ever hit FA since.

 

It took Chiarelli 5yrs to win a SC in BOS after assuming a team with core already in place.

 

Chiarelli now has a new project, this time he doesn’t have core in place except for maybe McDavid (if he shows up).  Hall, RNH and Eberle have talent, but will the (6x6) boys be around by the time Chiarelli can catch lightning in a bottle?  Can Chiarelli catch lighting in a bottle a second time?  I hope not, because I hate spoiled franchises, and there is none more spoiled than the Oilers with all the recent FOUR 1st OA draft picks they’ve had.

[kehatch]

This idea that Katz planned this is ridiculous. Being out of the playoffs for a decade isn't a plan. Crap development and drafting is not a plan. The chances of getting these 4 first overall picks was very remote. Plus he is keeping his boys club around.

We will never know if any of this happens without McDavid. But Edmonton has struggled to attract free agents, top coaches, and top executives. Getting Nicholson was a big deal. But even with him I think this is a tough sell without McDavid.

This is a great first step for the Oilers. But they still have issues. They still have a core that grew up with the wrong support. They still have a lot of holes that need to be filled. This isn't the first time there has been a positive buzz around draft picks and management hires. Their best players still play wing and they are weak down the centre, at D, and in net (though McDavid helps).

I think this gives them credibility to get some players. I think they now have the assets to trade someone like Eberle to address other holes. But I don't think this is an overnight fix and things could sour really quickly over there.