5 moves the Oilers can make to get back to the playoffs
NHL fans deserve to see Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs. They missed this season, but here are five moves that can bring them back in 2019.
Remember that one time Peter Chiarelli was selected as a finalist for General Manager of the Year because he drafted Connor McDavid, who carried the Edmonton Oilers to the playoffs?
Funny story — Chiarelli is actually turning the Edmonton Oilers into a disaster. There have been multiple bad trades, and he has managed to turn the Oilers’ strength into their weakness.
But don’t worry, Edmonton; there are five easy steps to fix this and get you back to the playoffs.
5. Chiarelli out
Usually, patience is important to a general manager. Building a team is a multiple-year process, and general managers need time to build out their plan. That being said, Chiarelli has used up his time and he needs to go. Everyone remembers the famous hour or so on June 29, 2016. PK Subban was traded, Steven Stamkos stayed in Tampa and the “Trade is one for one: Adam Larsson for Taylor Hall.” Not only did Chiarelli get an underwhelming return for Hall, but he subtracted one of the Oilers’ biggest strengths — talented wingers. But wait, there’s more. Jordan Eberle was then traded to the New York Islanders for…Ryan Strome. Yet another example of poor player evaluation. To save Oilers fans from any more pain we won’t explore the Griffin Reinhart, Matt Barzal trade.
Instead, let’s look at free agency. Milan Lucic was given a seven-year, $42,000,000 contract at the age of 28. A player with Lucic’s style tends to drop off steeply over time with age. This season was evidence of that. Don’t worry, Edmonton; in 2021, the contract turns from a no-movement clause to a modified no-trade clause. So only a few years left!
There have been far too many missteps in the few years that Chiarelli has been at the wheel. He burned through all three years of McDavid’s entry-level contract with only one playoff appearance and created more holes on Edmonton’s roster than when he started. Drafting McDavid is not an accomplishment for him. The Oilers got lucky, won the lottery and drafted the slam-dunk first overall selection. Now the team is scrambling looking for wingers to play with McDavid and he traded away two of them for sub-par replacements.