I woke up this morning expecting to see news break about Dallas Eakins no longer being with the club. I'm not saying that changing the coach for the umpteenth time in as many years is a good move, but I wasnt sure losing 8-1 to Calgary at home was a survivable offense. That was the worst loss to the Flames in Franchise history.
My bigger issue has been that the coach continues to claim the Oilers have been playing better in their last 20 games. You'll recall we looked at Possession after the 60 game mark and found the Oil were in a nosedive. That tailspin really has continued after the Olympic break but has been masked by sensational goaltending.
I'm willing to say maybe 3 of the last 5 games have been pretty good but nothing beyond that and yet the Coach continues to claim he sees progress going back into games we know were terrible. I'm not seeing it in their play. There ARE aspects that I think are getting better, like playing for each other and with more jam, but it hasnt translated into chances for and against on many nights.
So can Eakins really survive this season? I dont know. I dont see all the progress he claims there has been and we're hitting "Rock Bottom" moments way too late into a season that is way too far into a rebuild. I think changing the coach as many times as they have has been part of the problem, but how safe can anyone be after embarrassing the Organization so much?
Is it too late to even bother with a change or will we see MacT behind the bench some games this year? That's the only question I have this morning.
ON ANOTHER NOTE
Try not to shed man-tears watching Stajan score and point to the sky. I wish nothing but the best for him and his family.
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