Edmonton Oilers: Peter Chiarelli Right to Avoid Big Move
By Sammi Silber
Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli discussed the upcoming trade deadline at a press conference Tuesday.
Though he was concerned about the team’s lack of offence, Chiarelli remained confident in the current squad. Chiarelli explained how the team still had hope in his off-season acquisitions like Milan Lucic, and he wanted to see how the team played out. Therefore, he pretty much declared the team will stay away from being big buyers at the deadline.
Edmonton Oilers
“I’m satisfied with where we are,” Chiarelli told the media. “I haven’t liked the last little bit, but it’s a long season. If we make the playoffs I’d be ecstatic, because it really helps the development of these players. The fact that they are competing and feeling the pressure, that’s very positive for their development. But of course I’d like to make the playoffs.”
He also explained how he didn’t want to delve into renting players, but would tinker in areas where the team needed help. Overall, Chiarelli is planning to lie low; however, he did not cancel out the possibility of making moves.
On deadline day, certain things happen, and Chiarelli said he was open to names that would fall into his lap. He also mentioned that though he doesn’t necessary have names in mind, he will look at the areas where the team is struggling and work on helping them.
Confident Oilers
This is the right mentality for him to have. Edmonton was on a week-long break, and looked rusty in their return. They have struggled to score in their recent games, but their offence clicked Tuesday. Sometimes, all it takes is shuffling the lines and taking initiative to ignite the scoring lines.
Seeing that Chiarelli has confidence in this team is a good thing. He is not doing anything to waste movie or create upheaval, and more importantly, he is not changing this team that has fought its way to playoff position this season. By the same token, Chiarelli isn’t fixing what isn’t broken.
The Oilers could see themselves picking up a player to add to their scoring, but overall, don’t expect too much change. And remember, this is a smart decision.