PETE CHIARELLI: CALLING THE SHOTS
8 years ago
The Edmonton Oilers haven’t been good enough this season and there will be changes. That isn’t Captain Obvious or Joe Fan speaking, that was Oiler GM Peter Chiarelli this morning at Rexall Place.
With the NHL trade deadline approaching, Chiarelli laid as many cards on the table as anybody could reasonably expect, without actually naming names. Included in some meaty bones to chew on, Chiarelli said changes in player personnel are on the way and some of those changes could involve players who have under-achieved. The Oilers, it goes without saying, will be sellers at the deadline.
Not once did Chiarelli utter any names – Teddy Purcell, Justin Schultz and Matt Hendricks come to mind – as to who might be on the way out by the deadline and he didn’t name any of the big fish he might have targeted for the off-season, but it’s obvious he doesn’t intend to dither about or stand pat.
ACTION PLEASE
Of course, fans have heard that kind of gum-flapping around here a time or two before with not nearly enough action to back it up, so talk is extremely cheap in this town. That’s not Chiarelli’s fault, but with a fan base that’s been waiting a decade for a return to the playoffs, it’s his problem. Here’s what he had to say today.
On making a significant player trade by the deadline:
“Anything is possible, but, for me, major deals are less likely at this time. I think what happens is that there’s more global planning that takes place post-season, prior to the draft. Then, of course, you have the proximity of the draft picks that are alluring to teams. There’s just more activity that way, but anything is possible. I can tell you I’m not really looking at that type of deal now but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be looking at that for the spring and summer.”
On the possibility of dipping into his core players this off-season:
“With the larger contracts, it takes a little more effort and conversation to get a deal done. That means they are more likely to be taken care of in the off-season. Shipping off big contracts to contending teams at the deadline is difficult. What I can tell you, though, is that the contending teams are usually the cap teams, so in that regard if they’re going to take a larger contract there’s a little more manoeuvring as far as moving money around.”
On the under-achievers:
“We’ve got some contracts that, yes, are too high and they’re not performing. That’s not news, but when it comes to moving them and when you’re talking to a contending team that is capped out, you have to get a little creative.
“I’ll look at a lot of different things. We’ve got some players that have under-achieved. We’ve got some players who may need a new venue. Those are the determinations we will make between now and the trade deadline, and if certain players are still around, it’s because the deal wasn’t right or we felt there was a future for them with us, but then you’ll revisit some stuff in the summer.”
BETWEEN THE LINES
I have my own list of under-achievers. So do you. I wonder what Chiarelli’s list looks like. Is Nail Yakupov on it? I look at a couple of players and wonder if they might “need a new venue” and if they might be moved along for a significant piece on the back end, like Travis Hamonic, this off-season. Who fits that description?
It’s highly unlikely, of course, that we’ll get the answers to the most important questions in the days between now and the deadline. That’s off-season stuff, so the time between now and deadline day is about house-keeping – getting something for Schultz and Purcell, maybe a pick back for Hendricks from a team looking to bolster its veteran content for a push.
Those expecting something different, a big move by the deadline, will likely be disappointed. I get that because you can’t call a fan base impatient after this many years of watching the Oilers run in circles. I don’t have any doubt Chiarelli will significantly re-shape this roster – I won’t be calling BS when deadline day comes and goes – but that bit of business will happen months from now, not days from now.
Listen to Robin Brownlee Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the Jason Gregor Show on TSN 1260.
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