Fire Bob Nicholson

What an absolute disgrace. Bob Nicholson, a man who has overseen one of the most laughable eras in professional sports, tossed a player under the bus on Thursday. That player was Tobias Rieder, who is currently enduring a nightmare season where he has yet to score a goal.

Rieder, who signed a one-year contract on July 1st, was expected to step in and fill a top-nine role for the Oil this season. To say he has been a disappointment would be an understatement. To say we all expected more would also be an understatement.

To say what Nicholson said on Thursday morning, however, is unacceptable. All we hear is people bitch about how the fans in Edmonton are too negative and no one wants to come play here because of them. Ever think the real reason is because the club is on the verge of missing the playoffs for the 12th time in 13 years and because the CEO of the organization says things like this?

From Bruce McCurdy:

If Tobias Rieder had ten or 12 goals, Edmonton would NOT be seven points better and sitting in a playoff spot. His season has been a nightmare, but Rieder’s lack of production is not why this team sits outside the playoffs.

A bigger reason why Edmonton sits outside the playoffs? The club counted on Jesse Puljujarvi, Ty Rattie and Kailer Yamamoto to be its top three right wingers for the second season in a row. Rieder was always a third liner in Arizona and played a similar role in LA last season. Who in their right mind thinks Edmonton is a competent third liner away from making the playoffs? Are you kidding me?

Perhaps Nicholson should simply be quiet here. I appreciate what he and the organization are doing by meeting with fans and taking questions, I really do. It isn’t easy to stand in front of a pissed off fanbase that has been taken for a 13 year ride and answer questions, but they are doing it. I appreciate that and I respect that.

That being said, in typical Oiler fashion, they can’t even do that right. No, the team is actively pouring gasoline on the fire it is trying to put out. Nicholson has kept harping on character and continues to fawn over Matt Hendricks, a solid leader but nothing more than a bit piece who has almost no impact on the on-ice product.

Sure, Nicholson has said things that make sense like the Oil need more skill and that skill starts with speed. He’s made specific mention of addressing the wing position this summer and building around Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He’s talked about developing prospects and letting them take their time in the minors. Those are all admirable stances that, quite frankly, I can get behind.

Nicholson’s comments on Rieder are WAY out of line. They are highly unprofessional, and they paint the organization in a bad light. What free agent, in their right mind, is going to come to one of two teams in the league that publicly rips and blames its players for management’s shortcomings?

Imagine, for a second, being Tobi Rieder right now. Imagine being called out like this in the midst of a nightmare season, essentially being blamed for the team missing the playoffs.

Now imagine the guy calling you out being the same guy that hired a GM last time out without even interviewing anyone else. That’s Bob Nicholson. The man that couldn’t even be bothered to do his due diligence on one of the biggest hires in organization history. Tell me, Bob, what in the hell was your entire year long audit for if you were just going to half-ass that hire?

It was HIS hire that botched the Oilers so badly that they, for a lack of a better term, suck in year four of McDavid’s career. It was HIS hire that he stood behind, even as the team bled talent at an alarming rate and found itself in salary cap hell. It was under HIS direction that the Edmonton Oilers failed so badly and are in they spot they are in. This is HIS mess, and he’s got the gall to call out Rieder, a third liner? What an absolute disgrace.

There’s something in the water alright. It’s the arrogance of a man that won Gold Medals by the fistful running Hockey Canada, basically the real life version of fantasy hockey. So go ahead, proclaim you have a big plan and proclaim there was something in the water and that you’ll get it right this time.

Almost all of the verbal given off by Nicholson this week has just pissed off Oiler fans more. It’s killed almost all of the remaining hope in Edmonton. The arrogance of an organization that has been a laughing stock for 13 years and built a minor league team around the best player since Mario god damn Lemieux is simply amazing.

So prepare for more of the same old in Edmonton. Prepare for another summer of false hope and finger pointing when the walls come tumbling down. This is on you, Burger Bob. Your arrogance has set off the fireworks. You have quite a bit of work to do to fix YOUR mess.

Maybe if you made ten or 12 good transactions or interviewed ten or 12 GM candidates last time around, we wouldn’t be in this position.