It’s Time – Oilers Must Rebuild The Rebuild

In January of 2010, the Edmonton Oilers sunk to 30th in the NHL. Owner Daryl Katz accepted a rebuild, and promised better times for the hockey club, In June of that year, Edmonton selected Taylor Hall, and entered the following season with young hope in the form of Hall, Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi. The following June, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins joined the team, and better times were expected.

What actually happened? Edmonton never turned north. The Oilers finished 29th in a year that they were supposed to show real improvement in, then rose to the high 20’s before slipping back to 28th last season. It was called a five year process, but more than five years later the results are still the same. Unacceptable.

Oilers fans do not want to hear it, but the best way out of this might be to actually rebuild the rebuild. We have joked about it before, but it might actually be the only answer. We might actually be seeing the beginning stages of this process taking place right now. There are small signs, but if you pay close enough attention, you can see them.

Kevin Lowe has always been the voice of the Oilers from above, but that is no longer the case, it was Bob Nicholson who spoke earlier this week about the situation in Edmonton. Nicholson speaking about the hockey team wasn’t suppose to be the case. When he was hired in the summer, it was to work on the business side, not the hockey side. According to the man himself, “That has changed a bit.”

The verbal from Nicholson is also very telling. For the first time, publicly a front office member of the Edmonton Oilers has questioned the team. The drafting was questioned, the scouting was questioned, the situation was questioned. It’s the first time we have heard this from a voice from within. It seems small, but it is a damn big deal.

Nicholson also mentioned not making any major changes unless there is a real plan in place to help moving forward, and Bob also admitted that the Oilers aren’t knocking anything out of the park. The words “Looking at every part of the organization” were muttered as well.

So Rebuild it Again?:

Great rebuilding teams get contributions from later round picks, and surround their core with veteran players. They also build from the back out, with wing being the last position to be taken care of. Edmonton built on the wings first, totally ignoring the center ice position, and the blue-line. Edmonton also hasn’t invested in a good goalie since Dwayne Roloson left town years ago.

The team wasn’t built right, and is beyond weak at the most important positions, goalie, defense and center. That is a major flaw that falls on management. Edmonton has also failed to fill massive holes for nearly a decade. The team hasn’t had a number one defender, hasn’t had a number one goalie, and hasn’t had four good NHL centers on a team since 2006. Individually, no good goalie since 2008-09, no number center since 2005-06 (Nuge is taking this spot now) and no number one defender since Souray was booted in 2009-10. These holes have been totally ignored since the day they were left empty.

That falls on management. The scouting staffs have not been good either. The pro scouts have been awful for Edmonton, who has struck out on more free agent signings and more trades than anyone in the NHL since Steve Tambellini took over prior to the 2008-09 season.

Amateur scouts? Not much better. The Oilers have only one player drafted after the first round since this rebuild started in the NHL, and that is defender Martin Marincin, who right now isn’t playing every night for the worst defensive team in hockey. Outside of the top picks, this scouting team has swung and missed badly. 2010 is close to a total failure, while 2009 is beyond total failure. 2011, 2012 and 2013 are still up for debate, although 2012 looks like a total dud in the early stages.

The people in charge killed this rebuild. Management has failed to build one balanced roster since starting this rebuild, and has failed to surround their young core with the right pieces. On top of that, they blamed the coach far too much for their short comings, and let friends who were not qualified hold key teaching positions. This rebuild was doomed from the start, and has been a massive failure.

Sadly, it’s time to restart the process, all but guaranteeing another three seasons out of the dance in addition to the current mess we are watching.

What’s The Plan?:

With Bob Nicholson now getting slowly involved in the hockey side of things, I think it is only a matter of time. Kevin Lowe will eventually be moved along by the Oilers, and Nicholson will move into his office as the President of Hockey Operations. The heat is getting to be too much, and I think Nicholson is the guy that talks Katz into allowing his friend Lowe to leave the organization.

With that move, it think it is very likely the house is cleaned. I think it is totally possible that Craig MacTavish is sent packing, with Scott Howson going with him. The scouting staff would get the ax in this situation as well, giving Edmonton a totally clean slate. Needless to say, Dallas Eakins would be fired in this situation.

I believe that as we speak, the Oilers are slowly transitioning to Bob Nicholson being the new “over-lord” in Edmonton, calling the shots from above and bringing in his own GM, who brings in his own scouting staff and head coach. The current management group has proven that they cannot build this team, and they have been given ample time.

It’s beyond possible that the above scenario, as well as the Oilers tanking for McDavid or Eichel, is the game plan. It sucks, but this season is over. It’s time for Daryl Katz to get serious and get an actual plan. Kevin Lowe doesn’t have one, Craig MacTavish doesn’t have one, does Bob Nicholson? We might find out soon.

Personally, and I HATE to say this because it hurts as a fan, but another rebuild might be Edmonton’s only ticket out of this. We just better hope and pray that actual people with a plan are running this one.