Do Edmonton Oilers Have To Get Worse To Get Better?

The Edmonton Oilers may not have much lower to sink, but they still need rapid improvement

With the Edmonton Oilers on a ten-game losing skid, it’s hard for the team’s fans to stay quiet much longer.

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I take that back.

At this point, it’s hard even for fans league-wide to ignore the implosion of a once-legendary dynasty franchise; with three consecutive first-overall draft picks debuting in the team’s top six forwards, no one can understand why the Oilers are SO BAD.

TSN’s Darren Dreger insists that the team has to get ‘much worse’ before general manager Craig MacTavish fires head coach Dallas Eakins — but many think that’s not going to solve any problems, either. The team doesn’t look like it can get much worse; shouldn’t someone besides the coach be held accountable at this point?

With the word ‘accountability’ actually trending in the Edmonton area on Twitter after their 5-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes Monday night, it’s clear that the franchise’s fans are at their breaking point. If Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jordan Eberle can’t find consistency on a line — and forget Nail Yakupov, the Russian skater is a defensive mess better suited for a team that can quell his erroneous puck possession stats — who’s to believe that changing up the coaching staff is going to make things any better?

Eakins, who led the AHL‘s Toronto Marlies to a Calder Cup in 2012, hasn’t met with much success in Edmonton over the past season and a half. Yet, AHL coach Willie Desjardins — who boasts the same accolade from his tenure as head coach of the Texas Stars — has already brought the Vancouver Canucks back into the realm of relevancy. Is it really the coach that is the issue?

One thing is abundantly clear, regardless of what you believe the underlying issue is in Edmonton: if the team is going to have to get ‘a lot worse’ before things can change, this franchise isn’t in for a very pleasant journey.

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