Peter Chiarelli To Be Hired As Edmonton Oilers’ President of Hockey Operations

Well that was quick. 9 days after being fired by the Boston Bruins, ex-General Manager Peter Chiarelli is expected to be hired today as the Edmonton Oilers’ President of Hockey Operations. DJ Bean of the Big, Bad, Blog writes:

According to multiple reports out of Canada, the Oilers will announce the hiring of former Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli in a press conference Friday.

It is unknown what exactly Chiarelli’€™s title with the team will be, but Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada reported Thursday night that it will be something along the lines of president of hockey operations. Sportsnet’€™s Mark Spector reported Thursday that the Oilers will have a meeting Friday morning to notify staff of Chiarelli’€™s new position.

So what’s this mean for the Bruins? Well the obvious thing is that JJ and company doesn’t have to pay Chiarelli anymore, which probably has the old man sprung like Sir Mix-A-Lot in an Atlanta strip club. The second may not be as obvious.

There was a new rule in effect where a GM/Coach/etc that is fired by a team, but still under term, is hired by a new team the old club could be privy to draft pick compensation. Pierre LeBrun from ESPN:

Let’s take fired Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli as an example. He has three years left on his deal. As per Daly’s interpretation of the rule, the Bruins do in fact have the right to draft pick compensation if they want it.

Now, you would think the Bruins wouldn’t want to block any attempt by another team to hire Chiarelli since they owe him a salary for three more years. But the point is, they apparently could demand a pick if they wanted.

Does Boston do that? Probably not. Remember, the NHL is still an old boys club (which is why you rarely see offer sheets in the NBA) and god forbid teams step on each other’s toes. Plus, if Boston wants a draft pick and Edmonton says no then the Bruins still have to pay Chiarelli and obviously Jacobs would rather not do that.

Honestly, I think Chiarelli will be a good fit in Edmonton. Despite the last few years full of head scratching moves, he brought a pretty irrelevant team in the Boston Bruins to relevancy through free agent signings and some pretty notable trades (see: Horton, Seidenberg). The Oilers need someone with a vision because current GM Craig MacTavish is just throwing darts against a dartboard.

Was Chiarelli’s time in Boston always great? No, but it is tough to deny what he did from 06-12. If given a say in roster movement he will more than likely stabilize a team that has been so unstable if they were your family, you’d more than likely check them into a mental hospital.

Still, it would be nice to see the Bruins get Edmonton’s third round draft pick. Just saying.

EDIT: Apparently, it would be their second round pick as friend of the blog Dominic Tiano has told me.

@PezDOY It would be Edmonton's second round pick in 1 of next 3 drafts since he was hired before this years draft

— Dominic Tiano (@dominictiano) April 24, 2015