Breaking news this afternoon, as long-time hockey executive Peter Chiarelli is visiting the Edmonton Oilers, and is expected to interview with the organization. Chiarelli was recently the GM of the Boston Bruins, serving from the summer of 2006 up until last Wednesday afternoon when he was fired.
Chiarelli led the Bruins to the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons prior to this one, won a President’s Trophy during the 2013-14 season, won a Stanley Cup in 2011, and made the final again in 2013. Chiarelli is also the man responsible for bringing players like Zdeno Chara, Marc Savard, Rich Peverley, Johnny Boychuk, Dennis Seidenberg and Mark Recchi to Boston.
Chiarelli served as an assistant GM in Ottawa prior to going to Boston, and also was a player agent before that. The connection with the Oilers? The man they call PC has worked for Hockey Canada on multiple occasions in recent years, working under Bob Nicholson, the new CEO of Oilers Entertainment Group.
The story was first report by Sportsnet’s Mark Spector and Elliotte Friedman via twitter on Wednesday afternoon:
@SportsnetSpec: Chiarelli will meet with Oilers today. Assuming he is interviewing for GM job, but that is unconfirmed.
@FriedgeHNIC: Breaking from myself and
@SportsnetSpec — Peter Chiarelli in Edmonton meeting with the Oilers. More to come…The key here is what the position would be…Is President of Hockey Ops an option. Chiarelli flew into Edmonton today
Seeing these tweets makes only one thing certain, the Oilers are interested in making Chiarelli a part of the Hockey Operations department in Edmonton. Will it be in Kevin Lowe’s spot as the President, or will it be in Craig MacTavish’s spot as the new GM in Edmonton? We aren’t sure of that, but it’s clear Bob Nicholson has a vision here.
I said it in my piece yesterday that change seemed inevitable in Edmonton, and it appears to be coming. Staying the course with Lowe, MacTavish and Howson clearly is not the path that Bob Nicholson wants to take.
I’ve been a fan of Peter Chiarelli for a long time, and would love to see him get the job in Edmonton as GM. Will it happen? I’m not sure, but something is brewing. Stay tuned and buckle up, this off-season is going to be fun my friends.
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