The easy-going and relaxed former intern head coach, Todd Nelson, could be returning to the Oilers bench on a permanent basis soon. Although being pushed aside in favour of Todd McLellan earlier this past month for the head coaching gig, it seems as though Nelson has no hard feelings with the Edmonton Oilers organization. The report comes from veteran hockey news breaker, TSN’s own, Darren Dreger. Nelson would obviously serve as an assistant alongside McLellan behind the bench. The news comes as somewhat of a surprise as many speculated whether Nelson would look around for another NHL head coaching opportunity or even a deal in the AHL. The Oilers did give the rookie head coach permission to speak to other clubs about potential opportunities about two weeks ago after all. Before I go any further ito this matter, let’s go over the initial report, credited to Darren Dreger, as I previously mentioned.
The Report:
On a Tuesday edition of TSN’s insider trading, James Duthie brought up the idea of Nelson potentially staying with the Edmonton Oilers. Dreger responded to this by revealing that Nelson had engaged in talks with, new Oilers HC, Todd McLellan about the possibility of serving as an assistant with the big club. He also went on to explain that Nelson still has 3 years remaining on his AHL deal with the Oilers organization, a spot that he could very well go back into with the newly franchised Bakersfield Condors. Nelson did do a fantastic job with the Oklahoma City Barons. There are still many other possibilities, Todd has looked around for other jobs, but a return to Edmonton shouldn’t be crossed out by any means.
So is this good or bad?
What kind of question is that!? This is great news for anyone who follows the Oilers as religiously as myself. Todd Nelson came onto the scene midseason after Dallas Eakins was sent packing, and almost immediately he had an impact on the team. Players started to gel, and the Oilers started to form an identity. Perhaps Nelson resonated with the current group, that’s what I believe happened. Outside of the inner workings of the dressing room, in the media, Nelson comes off as a more calm and confident person than Eakins did. Nelson assumed control of the dressing room and pressed the right buttons with certain players to help them break out of their funk. Guys like Yakupov, Hall and Eberle all improved under Nelson rather than with Eakins. A serious problem in the Eakins era was the atmosphere of the team off the ice. Whispers of a split between the younger guys and the veterans was a predominant story early in the season that slowly fizzled out of the headlines after Nelson was introduced on an intern basis. All in all, the Oilers were a more tightly knit group with Nelson and it showed on the ice. The record may not have been a pretty one with Nelson, 17-25-9, but, that had more to do with other facets of the team, more specifically, a lack of depth on the backend and in the bottom six. To have a guy that connected with these players so well alongside an experienced guy in fellow “Todd” [McLellan], it would widely beneficial. As Edmonton Journal writer, David Staples, put it, the Oilers would love to have Nelson on the “Todd Squad”.
Impact on current Oilers coaches?
The Oilers currently employ 4 coaches, McLellan, Ramsay, Acton and Thompson. Ramsay and Acton spent the majority of the time on the bench and in the game while Thompson was handled as the Oilers eye in the sky, watching most games from the press boxes. If Nelson does come on board as an assistant coach, and Jay Woodcraft seemingly reuniting with McLellan, the Oilers will have to shakeup the coaching staff. There isn’t nearly enough room on that bench for 6 (5 if Rocky continues his role) coaches on a single bench. Two would have to be shown the door for this to work out effectively. One thing that is a given is the firing of Keith Acton. Acton was Eakins baggage and it would only be fitting if McLellan replaced him with some luggage of his own in Woodcraft. The situation becomes harder to see clearly when it comes to Nelson. It comes down to becoming either Ramsay or Thompson being shown out. Odds would be on Ramsay but I would hesitate a little there. Ramsay is a smart hockey guy, and has a proven track record as a legitimate NHL coach, he is a more valuable piece to this Oilers coaching staff than many give him credit for. But, in the end, you gotta make the decisions that would best help make the team a better club, and I believe Nelson would very much help achieve that goal moving forward. The reason why I didn’t mention Rocky Thompson as much is because I believe he provides a valuable enough job, up in the sky, that the Oilers wouldn’t bother taking him out, as he isn’t on the bench all that often as it is. Definitely going to be an interesting summer to be a Oilers fan. Lots of decisions to be made. I personally wouldn’t mind seeing Nelson, McLellan and Woodcraft directing traffic with Thompson analyzing the big picture.
How awesome would this be? I saw the Dreger report and my eyes lit right up. Do you guys agree? Should the Oilers look to keep Nelson, and if so, what other coaching moves do you see occurring? If you feel like it, you can toss over a follow on Twitter @CrazyOilersFan and talk some Oilers with me! A big thank you goes out to David Staples (@dstaples) for letting me reference his use of the term “Todd Squad”!
As Always, McDavid.
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