We asked for change, and on Friday afternoon, we finally got that change in Edmonton. The Oilers named Peter Chiarelli, the former GM of the Boston Bruins, the new President of Hockey Operations and GM of the organization.
The team re-assigned Kevin Lowe, the former President, to the business side of things, completely taking him out of the hockey operations department. COO Patrick LaForge was relived of his duties after a lengthy stint on the business side, while Craig MacTavish was relived from the GM’s role.
While MacTavish was removed from the GM’s role, he is still part of the organization and the hockey ops department, but his role is to be determined by Chiarelli, who will oversee the department.
My thoughts? This is the kind of change Edmonton desperately needed. Peter Chiarelli is a real, proven, NHL GM who built a Stanley Cup winning team and another one that went to the finals. Yes, he made some mistakes, but overall he knows how to build a team.
Chiarelli gives Edmonton instant credibility in the front office, and gives Edmonton a legit GM option moving forward. Chiarelli’s track record speaks for itself, and personally I’m thrilled about it. To me, PC is the top option out there in terms of management.
This signals a change in Edmonton, as the Oilers have, finally, shifted away from the old boys club. With Lowe out of the hockey ops picture and MacTavish losing authority, it brings a new direction. Chiarelli has a vision of how to build a team, and he’ll bring that to Edmonton.
This changes the summer plans greatly, and changes the outlook of next season. MacTavish, last week, called it a “developmental year”, but we can now throw that out the window. The Oilers are focused on one thing, and that’s turning this ship north. It’s about winning in Edmonton now.
As for the summer, I think we know what the goals will be. In addition to adding a head coach, a veteran coach, we can expect additions in net and on the blue-line. Chiarelli mentioned in his press conference that two holes on this roster were the defense and the goaltending. I don’t think they’ll be targeting players like Martin Jones or Cody Franson, I think we can aim a little bit higher, folks.
Two years ago we heard about bold moves, but never saw them. Now? I think we can buckle up and expect a pretty bold and busy summer in Edmonton. The goals have changed in Edmonton, it’s about winning and it’s about turning things north.
The Oilers have a shopping list, and will now go to market with a proven GM and some credibility for the first time in years. This summer is going to be about strengthening the roster, not development.
I’d expect that this team looks a bit different, a lot stronger, come opening night in October. It’s a very exciting time in Edmonton, as the Oilers have finally committed to turning things north.
Peter Chiarelli is a good GM, I got to see him first hand out here in Boston. He’s a man with a plan, and he’ll bring that plan to Edmonton. A new coach, a new starting goalie and a new plan on the blue-line will go miles with this organization.
Buckle up friends, we are gonna have some fun this summer!
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