So, Peter Chiarelli is in Edmonton. We found that out on Wednesday, and tonight, via Jason Gregor, we found out the team will hire him on Friday. What role will Chiarelli have? Will it help?
The Role:
As I mentioned in my original piece on Wednesday, Chiarelli is likely up for one of two positions, the GM of the club, or the President of Hockey Operations. Those are the two roles specifically mentioned by Friedman and Mark Spector of Sportsnet.
On Thursday, TSN’s Bob McKenzie mentioned that if Chiarelli takes a job with the Oilers, it will be in the same kind of role that Brendan Shanahan currently has in Toronto. What does that mean? Simple, Chiarelli would control the Hockey Operations department, and make the final call on most of the moves. That would include trades, and yes, the hiring of the next head coach of the Edmonton Oilers.
This would put him below Bob Nicholson, but would put him ahead of both Kevin Lowe and Craig MacTavish, meaning a lot of power will be taken away from those who previously ran things in Edmonton. That’s a pretty big deal.
Peter Chiarelli would get a chance to put his five year plan into effect in Edmonton, which he used in Boston to win a Stanley Cup in, yes, his fifth year with the team.
While nothing has been confirmed, obviously, by reading the tea leaves, it appears when Peter Chiarelli comes to Edmonton, he will get full control of the Hockey Operations department. To me, that is a very smart decision by the Oilers.
Who Is Leaving?:
I don’t think Kevin Lowe or Craig MacTavish get the ax. MacT will be given this summer to work with Chiarelli, and if things don’t work out, he’ll pay the price next spring, just as Dave Nonis did this year in Toronto. MacT is still doing media availability sessions, so I’d be stunned if he gets moved along.
As for Lowe, McKenzie mentioned on his TSN spot that he expects Lowe to stay in the organization in some sort of capacity. My guess? He’s relegated to an adviser role with a focus on public appearances and things other than running the Oilers. In terms of hockey decisions, he is being phased out currently.
Scott Howson might be a casualty of this decision, although I think that is still unlikely. The one certainty? There will be scouts fired by this team, and I’d wager there will be a fair amount of them moved out.
What Will The Structure Look Like?:
My money is on Bob Nicholson overseeing the whole thing, with Peter Chiarelli being named the President of Hockey Operations and being the final decision maker. Craig MacTavish will stay on as GM, while Scott Howson and Bill Scott will remain in their assistant roles. Stu MacGregor and a host of scouts get fired, while Bob Green takes full command in this area.
Kevin Lowe remains in his current role as the Vice-Chair of the OEG, basically as an adviser and a PR figure for the celebrations of closing Rexall Place and opening Rogers Place.
Will This Help?:
Yes, I think it will help a lot to be honest. People bash on Chiarelli for the Seguin and Boychuk trades, but the reality is he built a very good team in Boston that won a Stanley Cup and went to another. He rescued an organization that was a joke, and turned them around in five seasons. He made hockey relevant in Boston again.
Bringing him to Edmonton, where he will have more talent to start with than he did in Boston when he started there, will be a big deal. He’s made countless smart trades, and is very good at identifying useful NHL talent, an area Edmonton has struggled in for years.
This signals a change in the organization too. The Oilers aren’t promoting Nicholson and hiring Peter Chiarelli to pick in the top-five again next season. The goal is changing to, finally, turning this ship around and moving towards a playoff spot and beyond.
I’d imagine this changes the off-season game plan too. I think we can expect a starting goalie and a defender or two along with a veteran head coach, and that’s at minimum. With Nicholson and Chiarelli possibly running the show, I think we are looking at something a little higher up the charts than guys like Talbot and Franson too.
The Oilers, thanks to winning the McDavid lottery, are hellbent on turning north. Hiring Peter Chiarelli would be a huge step in the right direction, and could set the tone for a massive summer.
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