Restoring The Oilers: Beyond the Hall Rumors
The Edmonton Oilers determined their first fall guy today. They may be more to come, but that shouldn’t come until those making the decisions are replaced. Possibly with another Oilers legend.
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Oil On Whyte
Dallas Eakins was the first domino today toward the decade long rebuild of the storied Edmonton Oilers franchise. While you can read about the firing here, this is not going to be about burying the Oilers, rather taking a pair of steps to rebuild them.
After the head coach goes pressure gets ramped up in the locker room. A few short hours after the Eakins firing, rumors started flying about young star Taylor Hall and his availability. TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger suggests that while the move may not be made soon, it could signal a shift in philosophy of the front office:
If you’re moving a piece like Taylor Hall – and I believe that Taylor Hall will be in play – than the rate of return is always best when teams have flexibility in the summer… If you’re moving out a franchise player, potentially, like Taylor Hall is, you’d better be damn certain that that’s the right move for the organization because he is an elite talent. If you’re moving out Jordan Eberle, someone like that, again from that inner core, a core that you paid dearly, obviously too early, you have to be certain.
The Oilers have been heavy up front for a few seasons now and flipping a young top six forward makes sense but will come with a hefty price. Add to that the suggestion that Hall may be an issue in the locker room and GM’s inquiring will be sure to do some extra due diligence. Dreger reported that Hall “hasn’t been what they’d hoped he would be” in the locker room. Does that mean he is a malcontent? Or just not the type of leader they feel they need?
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Teams with plenty of blue line depth looking to make a run at the deadline or gear up for next season will certainly kick the tires. The Buffalo Sabres would make sense for this as they are rich in defensive prospects and may part with the NHL ready defensemen that the Oilers would covet in return.
The Winnipeg Jets could be interesting here. You may not think of them as a defensive team but they are currently ranked 5th in goals per game allowed. Sitting tied for 8th in the loaded Western Conference, will GM Kevin Cheveldayoff inquire about Hall to add to Evander Kane, Andrew Ladd and Blake Wheeler?
Beyond the players feeling the heat there is one question that needs to be considered after missing the playoffs for the last 8 seasons: when do GM Craig MacTavish and President Kevin Lowe shoulder the blame?
Considering MacTavish just hired himself as the head coach again it might not be anytime soon. But considering the forward heavy draft strategy for several years it might be time to shake up the front office too. Players are tired of losing and so are fans. So where do you look to replace MacTavish and Lowe?
Mark Messier, that’s where.
Messier was a part of the Rangers front office for four years before resigning to pursue other interests in 2013. While there is zero indication that Messier would be interested in another front office position, the Oilers would be nuts not to pick up the phone and find out. He is a legend of the game with six Stanley Cups – two more than favorite son Wayne Gretzky. His leadership would bring instant credibility in reshaping the mentality of an entire franchise.
Whether ownership would look at ANOTHER former player after MacTavish and Lowe have scars all over the roster is another story. I would think Messier would transcend that but it’s worth considering that a hire from outside of alumni could be more beneficial for turning things around.
Whether it’s moving Hall or another young forward or firing MacTavish and/or Lowe as the next change to take place, you can be certain major change is coming. Here is hoping that a fan base starving to return to the playoffs can see those changes provide more improved results.