Each NHL team’s biggest burning question in 2018
By Simon Vacca
Edmonton Oilers: A potential landing spot for Coach Q?
Recently fired for his inability to cover up Stan Bowman’s mistakes, Joel Quenneville — the most successful coach of the modern era — is now without a job. To the interest of puck lovers, the veteran pilot is reported to be interested in undertaking another coaching position — albeit with certain conditions in mind.
Most notably, Quenneville does not want to enter into the ranks of an organization that is beginning or is in the midst of a rebuilding process. At 60 years of age, Coach Q is definitely in a position to set conditions of this variety, in that he approaches the next segment of his career as the second-winningest coach in the history of the sport (with 890 wins to his name).
As the hockey world awaits the moment in which a determination is made, a potential fit for Quenneville that speculators will tempted to ruminate on is the Edmonton Oilers. Following a season in which Connor McDavid took the NHL by storm and led the franchise to Game 7 of the Western Conference Second Round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Oilers’ 2017-18 campaign was the equivalent of a nightmare. Lack of scoring on the wings, defensive deficiencies abound and what seemed like an eternal cold spell from between the pipes were the primary avenues through which the once mighty Oilers continuously struggled and in turn missed out on qualifying for a postseason berth.
So if the Oilers are stuck in the doldrums, why, then, would Edmonton be a sufficient landing spot for Quenneville?
The answer is twofold. The Oilers may be yearning for better days, yes — but the team is not yet in a rebuilding stage. Strong pieces in the form of Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Darnell Nurse, as well as the aforementioned McDavid are more than capable of introducing a tear for the books. While the makeup of the lineup is far from ideal, a promising roster that could use some tinkering remains far better than a full-fledged restructuring for a coach with Quenneville’s presumed intentions.
But ultimately, the Oilers’ most significant selling feature for any given administrator is its captain. Having tallied 100 points in 2016-17 and 108 points in 2017-18, McDavid is arguably the NHL’s best player, often compared to none other than Sidney Crosby in considerations of the league’s top talent. And if the Oilers’ most recurring constant is that of a quality of inconstancy — as good bouts of play are almost always followed by performances that are questionable at best — McDavid continues to serve as a ray of light behind a franchise that has suffered for far too long.
As Todd McLellan’s future with the club remains subject to scrutiny, expect Quenneville’s name to enter into the talk circuit of Edmonton’s media. He’s piloted the likes of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith — consistently making the best of his players during a remarkable 10-year tenure. Coaching McDavid, therefore, would be nothing short of tempting.
UPDATE: The Oilers have since fired Todd McLellan and hired Ken Hitchcock as his replacement. Quenneville remains on the market.