There have been multiple reports in the last hour that former Boston Bruins’ GM Peter Chiarelli is in town and meeting with the Edmonton Oilers today. So, what are they talking about?

Whether Chiarelli is in town to talk about taking over from GM Craig MacTavish or president of hockey operations Kevin Lowe or is simply being added to the existing management team, it’s obvious Bob Nicholson isn’t wasting time getting to work.

To understate, it’s been a noteworthy week for the Oilers. They won the NHL draft lottery and the right to claim Connor McDavid. We’ve seen reports, notably from Elliotte Friedman of HNIC, that the Oilers have “reached out” to former San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan.

On Monday, Nicholson, named CEO of the Oilers, talked about changes being contemplated in hockey-ops. Now, word the Oilers are talking with Chiarelli, who has ties to Nicholson and Lowe through Hockey Canada – he was the assistant GM of the 2014 Canadian team in Sochi.

“The timeline for hockey ops . . . I would like to do it right away, but I won’t commit to that,” Nicholson said Monday. “I will do it when the timing is right. There are a lot of playoff games going on, so we won’t rush any decisions.”

While Nicholson won’t rush any decisions, it’s obvious he’s not wasting any time getting started on the due diligence and the groundwork that’ll lead to changes with team management and hockey-ops in coming weeks. The Oilers haven’t “reached out” to McLellan to inquire about tee times. They don’t have Chiarelli in town to tour the new downtown rink site.

I was contacted by a source I trust Monday – not a member of the Oilers organization — and was told that the Oilers were interested in Chiarelli and that he could be in the plans. Where in the plans, exactly, isn’t known. No firm timetable was mentioned. I checked around and couldn’t uncover much, aside from speculation. Today, Chiarelli is in Edmonton.

My best guess, and that’s all it is at this point, is this: I don’t see Nicholson or owner Daryl Katz relieving MacTavish of his duties as GM in favor of Chiarelli. MacTavish is just entering his third year on the job.

I also don’t think somebody as high-profile as Chiarelli is going to take what I’d call an “in-between” position with the Oilers – being put in an advisory-type role created for him, unless it carries significant sway in the decision-making process. I doubt a role as the assistant GM, even if current assistant Scott Howson is on the way out, would be meaty enough.

All of which leads me to Lowe and the POHO position. Lowe, GM from 2000-2008, has been a target of constant criticism by fans. He’s been at or near the top of the decision-making chain for 15 years, most in which the team has struggled mightily. He already offered to step away from the team once, as reported by Friedman, but the offer was rebuffed by Katz.

Might Lowe be ready to step away now or at some point this off-season? It’s a reasonable question. There’s absolutely no doubt Chiarelli has the resume to take over as POHO as part of the revamped management team and that he has the trust of Nicholson, the new big boss.

Lowe out. Chiarelli in. It could very well go that way.