In case you missed it, I wrote this piece on the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. I was inspired to do so after I heard Mark Spector's most excellent, revealing interview with newly minted Edmonton Oilers GM, Craig MacTavish.
I loved MacT's energy and his brashness in the below intervie. It sounded to me like the Oilers were about to shift the old paradigm to the new one. MacT didn't pull any punches in his candid discussion with Spector. In it he:
* Proclaimed that he is open to all options as they relate to the 7th overall pick in the NHL entry draft. Want it? Come and get it!
*All but kissed vets Horcoff and Hemsky goodbye.
* Wheeled Khabibulin to the old folks home, told Dubnyk to be ready to compete for the #1 goalie job. Also, he said that he's looking for a veteran netminder.
Today, MacT added another serious wrinkle by firing head coach Ralph Kruger. The early favorite to be named head coach is Toronto Marlies head coach Dallas Eakins. Kruger only got an abbreviated 48 game audition to earn the full time job. No dice, Ralph.
Thanks, Oilers TV
Heavy is the head that wears the crown. NHL coaches are hired to be fired.
Do you know that Eakins will be Oilers vet Sam Gagner's fifth head coach? He's only 23 years old!
Show me a great goalie, and I'll show you a great coach.
No great goalies in Edmonton. Four unemployed head coaches, and counting.
In a nutshell, here's what happened in the City Of Champions:
MacT told Kruger that he wanted to add an assistant coach with head coaching experience to help Kruger coach. During the interview process, MacT came to the conclusion that he'd rather go in a new direction and hire a new head coach to to the reigns of his band of loud, young rock stars. Eakins appears to be the new professor at the Edmonton school of rock.
Lindy Ruff is still unemployed, however, he won't be out of work for long. I'm hearing that Ruff is waiting for Glen Sather to get the Rangers house neat and tidy before he hires his next coach.
MacT s intrigued by his team's options heading into the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The Oilers have stockpiled lottery picks the past four seasons and have drafted well as a result. They've landed trophy bucks like Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent Hopkins, and Nail Yakupov. The Oilers are long on forwards, short on aggressive D. Thats why MacTavish is heading into the NHL Draft with his eyes and mind wide open.
MacTavish told Mark Spector of the Team 1260 that he has been doing his homework: scouting, studying and interviewing dozens of players for draft. He recently traveled to Helsinki and Stockholm to watch players live at the IIHF World Hockey Championships.
The Oilers will select 7th overall, one spot ahead of Buffalo. They have targeted Nurse in round one. If he's gone, there will be other difference-making D men available to the Oilers like the sky scraping Zadorov, the rugged Ristolainlen, or the pugnacious Pulock.
Because of the sheer magnitude of talented players in this year's first round, MacTavish is open to trading up into the top five, as well as trading back on order to get a daily double: a veteran player who can help the Oilers will right noiw, along with a top ten first round draft choice in the 2013 entry draft. I can totally see MacT trade the 7th overall pick to get a player(s) who can help his team win NOW. Ryan Miller and Reggie Sekera come to mind. The Oilers desperately need veteran help in net and in their top 4 D.
Here's MacT's interview with Spector:
Thanks, Team 1260
MacT all but said goodbye to Oiler vets Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff. The youth movement will win out in the end. The Sabres should NOT be kicking the tires if either player. Too old. Too expensive.
MacT also proclaimed goaltending the area of his team that needs to be upgraded ASAP.
Khabibulin was effective last season, however, he's 40 years old now. Its time for the Oil to go in a new direction with their tending.
Imagine Ryan Miller in the Edmonton cage. Vezina drummer back stopping a group of young rock stars. Scary to think about the possibilities.
I can see a scenario whereby Darcy Regier and Craig MacTavish talk turkey about trading first round picks. Remember, Edmonton have a ton of salary cap and could be coaxed int o taking on a high salary, Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford or Ville Leino.
It will be interesting to see what the Oilers do in the draft floor in Newark. They're doing their due diligence now and are role playing now for any potential trade scenarios that may present themselves on June 30.
Here's the International Scouting Services's Top 20 Prospects:
1 MacKinnon, Nathan C 6.00 182 Halifax QMJHL
2 Jones, Seth RD 6.03.5 208 Portland WHL
3 Drouin, Jonathan C 5.10.75 185 Halifax QMJHL
4 Nichushkin, Valery F 6.04 202 Chelyabinsk Traktor KHL
5 Barkov, Sasha F 6.03 209 Tappara FinE 6 Nurse, Darnell LD 6.03.5 189 S.S. Marie OHL
7 Lindholm, Elias C 6.00 192 Brynas SweE 8 Zadorov, Nikita LD 6.05.25 230 London OHL
9 Monahan, Sean C 6.02 186 Ottawa OHL
10 Horvat, Bo C 6.00.25 200 London OHL
11 Ristolainen, Rasmus RD 6.04 207 TPS Turku FinE
12 Lazar, Curtis C 5.11.75 193 Edmonton WHL
13 Shinkaruk, Hunter C 5.11 175 Medicine Hat WHL 14 Pulock, Ryan RD 6.00.5 211 Brandon WHL
15 Wennberg, Alexander C 6.01.5 190 Djurgarden Sweden
16 Burakowsky, Andre LW 6.01.5 178 Malmo SweAl
17 Santini, Steve RD 6.01.5 207 USA Under-18 NTDP
18 Gauthier, Frederik C 6.05 210 Rimouski QMJHL
19 Zykov, Valentin RW 6.00 210 Baie-Comeau QMJHL
20 Rychel, Kerby LW 6.01 200 Windsor OHL
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