Edmonton Oilers GM Search: Critiquing 200 Hockey Men
Darren Dreger and a few other analysts went on to do a panel at the GM meetings. They gave us a preliminary list of candidates for the Edmonton Oilers. Surprise! It’s a list of familiar names and faces.
Per @DarrenDreger, #Oilers potential GM list has narrowed to "around 10 names" and includes Kelly McCrimmon, Dave Nonis, Mark Hunter, Mike Futa, Sean Burke & Keith Gretzky.
— Brennan Klak (@nhlupdate) March 5, 2019
Edmonton Oilers: McCrimmon and Hunter are listed which are two role names I explained in an earlier article. Some of the other names listed however are the stuff of nightmares. Dave Nonis? Sean Burke?
Maybe it’s a good thing Brian Burke is working for Sportsnet right now or may he’d get a call from Bob Nicholson. Also Keith Gretzky? Do you mean the interim guy? The guy who has been with the Edmonton Oilers since Chiarelli and was part of all the moves that got us here?
Time is the Flattest Circle
Why is it that NHL coaches and GM’s constantly get recycled?
Seriously though? I can’t even imagine how difficult it is to break into the NHL world when it’s such an old boys club. Let’s just look at the coaches and GM’s who were fired this season and who replaced them.
Coaches
- Randy Carlyle– Replaced by Ducks GM Bob Murray on an interim basis. Feb 10, 2019
- Dave Hakstol- Replaced by the coach of Flyers AHL affiliate, Scott Gordon on an interim basis. Dec 17, 2018
- Todd Mclellan- Replaced by Ken Hitchcock for the remainder of the season, Nov 20, 2018
- Mike Yeo- Replaced by Craig Berube on an interim basis. Nov 19, 2018
- John Quenneville– Replaced by Jeremy Colliton on an interim basis. Nov 6, 2018
- John Stevens– Replaced by Willie Desjardins on an interim basis. Nov 4, 2018
Willie Desjardins, Craig Berube, Ken Hitchcock, and Scott Gordon all have seasons worth of head coaching experience elsewhere. Hitchcock I shouldn’t need to explain, the guy is a walking legend. Desjardins had three years of coaching with Vancouver, Berube had two years with the Flyers, and Gordon had three years with the Islanders.
The whole Bob Murray situation is weird, and I don’t remember the last time a GM did this. Craig MacTavish did for a few games after Dallas Eakins was fired, but let Todd Nelson take over soon after.
Wow… It’s almost like NHL exec’s are scared to give guys that are outside of the established circle a shot. Well except for Colliton. I got to go on a quick tangent because I love this guy’s story.
Jeremy Colliton
Jeremy Colliton is a shockingly remarkable story. From being drafted in the second round by the Islanders in 2003 to playing for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in 2013 to playing out his career in Europe to being an NHL coach at 34 years old.
Forced to retire early due to concussion-related symptoms, he began his coaching career in Europe with Mora IK of the SHL in 2014, learning the ropes. In the process of learning those ropes, Colliton coached his team out of the second tier European league HockeyAllsvenskan and into the premier European league, the SHL.
Then, at the start of 2017/2018, he was named head coach of the Rockford Roadhogs, the Blackhawks AHL affiliate. In his one year coaching in the AHL, he coached his team to 40-28-8 finish, losing in the conference finals of the playoffs.
This guy worked his behind off to get to where he is today, even though the Blackhawks are 21-24-6 under him. I feel like he has a long and successful career ahead of him. One he earned.
Now for the GM’s
GM firings are few and far between so I’m just going to list the last 6 and who replaced them. While there are a couple of more recent GM replacements (Lamoriello/Dubas, Yzerman/Brisebois), I’m focusing on GM’s who were fired by their teams.
- Peter Chiarelli- Replaced by Keith Gretzky on an interim basis. Jan 23, 2019
- Chuck Fletcher- Not renewed and replaced by Paul Fenton. May 21, 2018
- Ron Hextall– Replaced by Chuck Fletcher. Dec 3, 2018
- Garth Snow– Replaced by Lou Lamoriello. May 22, 2018
- Ron Francis– Replaced by Don Waddell. May 8, 2018
- Dean Lombardi- Replaced by Rob Blake. April 10, 2017
These are the ones I found, although I may have missed a guy or two. The problem here is pretty clear. Old. Boys. Club. Fletcher, Chiarelli, and Lombardi all went to college to eventually become player agents. All were “drafted” into the NHL circle the right way, earning based on merit. Although none of them spent longer than a year (Hextall will get another job this summer.) without a job in the NHL.
Chiarelli went from assistant general manager in Ottawa to GM in Boston, to GM in Edmonton with a total of 9 days of unemployment. his total time hired with all three of those teams lasted from 1999-2019. Fletcher has spent 25 years in NHL management offices working for Florida, Anaheim, Minnesota, and now Philadelphia, a career that started in 1993.
Dean Lombardi’s career began with Minnesota North Stars in 1988 as an assistant general manager. His career has seen him be a part of Minnesota, San Jose, Philadelphia, L.A, and now Philadelphia again. He has lasted over 40 years in the NHL, being fired twice during that time.
The other three Hextall, Francis, and Snow did not earn their roles based on merit. As far as I can tell none of them went and got a college degree to make their way into hockey management.
Instead, they were given jobs shortly after they retired from playing and quickly rose to General manager positions. This practice is far too common in the NHL today, and one Oilers fans are familiar with.
What This Has to do With Edmonton’s Search
Well, there’s a new trend in today’s NHL, and it’s one Edmonton is seemingly ignoring.
When you look at the list of candidates Dreger reported Edmonton as interested in two names jump out, Sean Burke, and Dave Nonis.
These two follow the same broken down the formula of recycling other teams cast-offs because they had success in “the past.” The past doesn’t work for any more organizations, and smart teams are starting to realize it.
John Chayka and Kyle Dubas are part of a new movement. Smart, young, talented people who are earning it the right way. Just Like Chiarelli, Fletcher, and Lombardi did long ago. While those three have all bounced around, they are all cup winners and have had success.
In the now, however, they are sub-par options as compared to fresh minds who can bring new ideas into the general manager role.
If Edmonton wants to bring another guy who has done it before and has experience winning we can buckle up for rebuild 5.0. Edmonton needs a fresh face with new ideas that aren’t connected to any established line of thinking.
The team needs a person who is not going to be a part of the Old Boys Club. Someone who will cause tangible and meaningful change in an organization so stale and bereft of new ideas.
Wrap Up
Conduct a poll of 200 hockey men, and it might be unanimous: Edmonton got what it needed in that deal, and giving up Hall was well worth it. – Mark Spector
This quote in reference to the Taylor Hall trade has become a running joke in Edmonton. It signifies the Old Boys Club and the hockey/media worlds over-reliance on former players.
It makes a mockery of the idea that the past informs the future and experience is king over smart and new ideas. Some of these moves end up being very good like Steve Yzerman or Doug Wilson, a lot of these guys are ill-prepared and out of their depth.
Mike Milbury is probably the most famous example of this trading Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish. Another one of his moves was a 2nd overall pick (Jason Spezza) and Zdeno Chara for Alexei Yashin.
Funnily enough, Milbury is currently hired to color commentary on T.V as an analyst. It seems as though once you’re “in” you’re “in” for life.