The Edmonton Spoilers. Sure.
While the Oilers were out of realistic playoff contention weeks ago, the 7-2 waxing they took from the St. Louis Blues Tuesday seems to have officially relegated them to the role of spoilers. At least that’s the term I heard for the first time this morning in a chat between Dustin Nielson and Ryan Rishaug on TSN 1260 as they face the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight.
With their own playoff hopes toast, the Oilers will spend their remaining nine games trying to throw a wrench into the playoff plans of other teams when they get the chance. First up, the Blue Jackets, who are clinging to a one-point lead over the Montreal Canadiens for the second wildcard in the Easter Conference. Being a spoiler, simply put, is hockey’s version of schadenfreude.
Bottom line, it’s cold consolation for Oilers’ fans, the most optimistic of whom were hanging on to the faint hope of a playoff push until four losses in the last six games snuffed that out once and for all. Rather than apply yet another kick in the ribs while they’re down – it’s a dead horse bit right now and there’ll be plenty of time for engaging in that post-mortem once the season is done – I’d rather focus on what’s next.
With CEO Bob Nicholson well into the search for a new general manager, a new head coach and staff to follow and a review of hockey ops from top to bottom in the offing, Mark Spector of Sportsnet wrote what I think is a pretty good piece around the Oilers’ to-do list. That’s here. The new GM is obviously the first priority on the list, but a couple of other nuts-and-bolts aspects of the coming overhaul stick out for me.
THE NO-CAP COMPONENTS
Money wisely spent for competent, quality people in hockey ops, from GM through assistant-GM’s, directors of player development and scouts, both pro and amateur, tends to result in a lot less money wasted on player personnel, be they draft picks, free agents or players acquired through trade. In every one of those positions, you need people with the ability to properly evaluate and assess talent. Peter Chiarelli, the record shows without any doubt, wasn’t very good at it. He was not alone.
What about the pro scouts? Who, aside from Chiarelli, thought Ryan Spooner was a good idea? Who believed trading Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson made sense? I don’t have that answer, but I bet Nicholson does. You can go on down the line. The record of player acquisitions under Chiarelli is atrocious. Teams cannot bleed talent in trades and overpay marginal players as the Oilers did under Chiarelli and still be contenders. This much we know.
The GM ultimately signs off on everything, but he has trust his pro scouts and he has to be willing to listen to what they say, especially those with dissenting opinions. The new GM will bring in many of his own people, but if there are going to be any scouts who remain from the Chiarelli regime, it better be because they have a proven track record of getting it right. The amateur scouts, under now-interim GM Keith Gretzky, appear to be in relatively good shape, but the new GM has to make that call too.
The other area the Oilers have been sadly lacking in is making a commitment to employing an analytics staff. You don’t hire analytics people instead of eyes-on scouts in rinks across the NHL, you hire them to complement the old-school bird-dogs – at least that’s what the best teams are doing now. There was zero commitment to that during the Chiarelli regime. That has to change.
Nicholson has been talking a good game lately as he delves into the search for his new GM, but we’ve heard talk around here for years and years. When you’ve got a capped out team with the best player in the world in Connor McDavid and you’re playing spoiler again with the playoffs approaching, it’s well past time to walk the walk and get it right.
WHILE I’M AT IT
Joe Moss might be the most popular Oiler ever outside of Wayne Gretzky, so a tip of the cap to the long-serving dressing room attendant today on World Down Syndrome Day. Moss, as anybody who has been around the dressing room the last four decades or has heard him belt out the national anthem, is a beauty. He’s also an inspiration and example of ability, rather than disability.
I was reminded again of what Moss has meant to Oilers’ players over the years when Dan Lacouture showed up with the Boston Bruins alumni team to play in Red Deer last weekend. We were in Tampa Bay for a game with the Lightning on March 13, 2001 when Lacouture, a tough, banging winger, was traded to Pittsburgh for Sven Butenschon by GM Kevin Lowe.
Lacouture held it together pretty well with the travelling media as he packed his bags until he asked us to say goodbye to Moss, who was not on the trip, for him. He broke down and wept. I’ve never forgotten that moment – or how much Moss has meant to players who’ve come and gone here over so many years.
There’s nothing to be proud of being a “spoiler” after how this gong show has been handled.
Embarrassing.
So to recap 1 paragraph, Search for new GM, Head Coach & Staff, Review hockey-ops from top to bottom. Sound like a forensic audit. Thought we hired a guy to do that almost 5 years ago. I must have been mistaken, or is that just taken?
FOR SALE: NHL building with no team in northern Alberta.
Sweet spoiler, though.
Did I not see Wanye laying rubber on Jasper Ave. in this very car?
Burn rubber, not your soul, my friend.
The new NHL has exposed Adam Larsson. He struggles most nights playing in his own end. He’s really a four million dollar 3rd pairing dman. The good news is that he still has trade value… I hope.
If you can figure this out, then I would think all the other teams in the NHL will too. So why would he still have trade value? GMs aren’t going to feel sorry for the Oilers and take their bad players and bad contracts off the Oilers hands. There is no pity in pro sports, just win baby
Kevin, you’re using your real account not your burner account… C’mon! And by the way didn’t you get the memo, this week is #blameToby, next week is #blameAdam
I didn’t get the memo. I was on the beach laying out in the sun all day doing very important consultant stuff. #Mexico
The taxpayer bucked up for a new building? This is what we get, screwed by katz. Peter puck is looking a little less crooked at the moment, and that’s not easy to do.
I don’t know how crooked Katz is, but he’s definitely a terrible owner. He needs to be ruthless in firing his buddies. That’s the problem. He’s to friendly with the Old boys.
What makes him a terrible owner?
Why should he fire his buddies?
He owns a bad hockey team that is managed by his buddies.
is Joe Moss’s name on the stanley cup?
Should be, surprised they have not blamed him yet, maybe saving that for next year?
I think he’s retired anyway. No reason for him to have his legacy tarnished.
No, it is not.
Management has a long to-do list this summer and I doubt they’ll make it worth our while, yet again
Walter White dies at the end of Breaking Bad.
#Here come the Spoilers!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLnTWxpTQt4&w=560&h=315%5D
The Oilers are broken, only Batman can save them.
Turn on the Bat-signal.
Yes?
The Oilers need a good house cleaning from Mgmt especially with the OBC on down, and then they can start with the coaching staff, I like Hitch but his defensive first system has these guys thinking defence way too much and its killing any kind of offence, The assitants can all go IMHO I see no changes in the PK PP and defensive system we are just as bad on all three much like last year. Schwartz shoiuld have been gone last year, the Oilers need him gone and they need to find a real proven NHL golaie coach, because he has no clue how to help his goalies solve the issues they are having and instilling too mnay bad habits in the goalies and its is costing us big time. Then the Oilers needs to start cleaning up on the ice, get rid of the dead weight see who you can suck into taking some contracts and find someguys to fill the holes, not much cap room so it will be slim lpickings but other GM’s scouts have managed to find the diamonds in the rough , the Oil need that and for cripes sakes stop handing out NMC and contracts that are buyout proof like Lucic is, that just handcuffs a team
It sucks we are out of the playoffs again, its nice knowing we werent out of it so early like last year but it sucks, this team needs a new infusion of blood from Mgmt on down or we are doomed for a repeat and I think we all would like not to see that 12 out 13 years out of the playoffs is more than enough
Even new management would be hard-pressed to fix this team in time for next season. Sadly, it’s a good three years at least before the team will be good. I hope I am wrong.
Joey Moss is Legend. Edmonton should consider erecting a statue of him.
#FreeMcDavid
That’s all
Don’t let that be all.
Please.
We want more of your insight and knowledge.
You can’t always get what you want, son
So why do you keep asking for McDavid to leave?
Practice what you preach dead beat.
Meh, being a spoiler is only fun if it’s spoiling the Flames or the Leafs playoff chances.
Everyone gets their chance to be spoiled by the Oilers.
Too bad Flames are already in.
Hall for Larsson was a good deal.
Hall is a lost cause.
Heatley 2.0
You’re terrible at trolling.
Don’t worry.
You’ll remember my comment in about 4-5 years.
Hahaha! Yeah, we sure will because in 4-5 years he will have had a 14 year career and 800ish points. Yes, we sure will remember Taylor Hall as a great hockey player. Your comment, not so much.
The 7-2 waxing they took from the St. Louis Blues Tuesday seems to have officially relegated those Oilers to the role of Soilers …
The Vegas loss was the last nail in the coffin, the Blues game was the first shovel of dirt.
Really, eh. We’re writing about being spoilers? Oo goody goody gosh !
How could this team be so far out of touch with the new NHL? Time to do the spring cleaning and modernize. Fire everybody responsible??