Edmonton Oilers hire Peter Chiarelli to fix franchise

The Edmonton Oilers added former Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli to their front office on Friday.

Peter Chiarelli is one of the luckiest men in hockey. He went from being fired as general manager of the Boston Bruins on “tax day” (April 15) to hired by the Edmonton Oilers as general manager and president of hockey operations nine days later.

The Oilers, of course, were the lucky winners of the most anticipated NHL Lottery since…ever. By gaining the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL entry draft, they have the right to Connor McDavid–who is expected to become the next “Great One”, or at least hockey prodigy.

The Oilers know a thing or two about holding in their possession a great young player, as the team which once brought along Wayne Gretzky and won several Stanley Cups before the largest blockbuster trade in NHL history, and maybe North American sports history.

In winning the lottery last week, the Oilers slotted right into the opportunity to again hold in their position a transcendent talent. Though Jack Eichel is also thought to be an outstanding talent, McDavid is the prize of the upcoming draft.

Chiarelli is not being brought into make “a tough decision” between the two. This is a lot like the 2012 NBA draft when the New Orleans Hornets had the opportunity to draft once-in-a-decade talent in the person of Anthony Davis. Though Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was certainly a hot draft prospect, the difference in the ceiling of the two Kentucky freshman was obvious.

The same is true here. McDavid will be the pick.

The question then goes to this: Why bring in Chiarelli now?

The answer is not necessarily as obvious, but is ultimately fairly elementary. The Oilers are bringing Chiarelli to do the same thing he did in Boston–that is to establish the franchise as an annual competitor for the Stanley Cup.

Chiarelli has a history, from Boston, of understanding his own team’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as their salary cap, and making smart hockey and business decisions on his own team.

In March Chiarelli signed two young up-and-coming stars to contract extensions in the persons of Torey Krug and Reilly Smith, guaranteeing the Bruins’ young core would remain in place, even if some of the veterans may not have been performing up to standards.

Chiarelli already has a lot of young talent in place in Edmonton, thanks to a number of high draft picks resulting from sub-par performance on the ice in recent seasons.

Chiarelli is ultimately being brought in to figure out going forward which of those young players to keep around, and which ones to either ship out, or simply allow to leave as free agents.

He’s being brought in to figure out what the core of the team will be around McDavid in the coming years.

If his time in Boston proved anything, it’s that he knows how to do exactly that.

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