Edmonton Oilers: Peter Chiarelli’s NHL Career is Over

CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 24: General manager Peter Chiarelli of the Edmonton Oilers looks on during the 2017 NHL Draft at United Center on June 24, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 24: General manager Peter Chiarelli of the Edmonton Oilers looks on during the 2017 NHL Draft at United Center on June 24, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
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Edmonton Oilers
SUNRISE, FL – JUNE 26: Peter Chiarelli of the Edmonton Oilers attends the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center on June 26, 2015 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

More Has To Come

One man cannot single-handedly make a franchise that was gifted the number one talent of this generation this bad, can he? It has been widely reported that these recent moves were made by consensus decisions in the organization, with Craig MacTavish essentially breathing over Chiarelli’s shoulder.

So who are the pro scouts that watched Manning and said he’d be a viable stop-gap for an injured defense core? Or watched Tobias Reider and deemed he might be able to provide some offensive options in the teams forward group?

From the analytics personnel that might have missed sufficient evidence that these players are not having success in these areas of the game or that players careers have been trending downward. To the apologist’s that couldn’t convince Chiarelli that these moves would be strapping the Oilers for cap space for years to come. You can go on and on.

The Oilers are going to have to make a lot of tough decisions throughout all levels of the organization to see any changes. Chiarelli is without a doubt where you start, but it is imperative that MacTavish and Kevin Lowe follow him out the door this summer; along with the rest of the personnel who have contributed to Edmonton being the laughing stock of the league for well over a decade.

The new guy will have a handful of barriers left by his predecessor.

Here’s to hoping this organization will finally figure it out.