In danger of missing the playoffs yet again, the Edmonton Oilers have pulled the trigger, firing GM Steve Tambellini. A press conference has been called for 12:30pm ET, 10:30am local.
The Oilers are currently 12th in the Western Conference. They are eight points out of a playoff spot with just seven games remaining. Their record on the year 16-18-7.
The Oilers hired Tambellini in July 2008. He was previously an assistant GM for the Vancouver Canucks under Brian Burke and Dave Nonis.
The Oilers have had 3 straight first overall picks, taking Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Nail Yakupov with those picks. However despite some promising play from these young forwards (and from Jordan Eberle and Sam Gagner), they have not been able to build themselves into a playoff team.
Reports are that the Oilers will name their former head coach, and player, Craig MacTavish as the new General Manager. Scott Howson (a former Oilers assistant GM, and former Columbus General Manager), will also be hired to take over MacTavish’s current role as senior vice president of hockey operations.
From where I sit, this shakeup needed to be made as the Oilers needed to change the direction of an organization that has not made the playoffs since 2006. However the hirings of MacTavish and Howson appear to be the same recycled management types that have failed the Oilers in the last 7 years. My opinion is that this move is just an example of rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic and until meaningful changes are made off the ice, no real changes will occur on the ice.
MacTavish was fired four years ago today as the Oilers head coach. He was let go after he was unable to repeat the success he enjoyed in leading the team to the Stanley Cup final in 2006.
All that has happened here is that the same management group is in place, merely with new titles and new positions. There is no real new blood. The hiring of Howson is another re-tread from an era of Oilers hockey that lacks success, and his performance in Columbus does not suggest that he is the man to turn things around either.
From where I sit it is clear that if the Oilers want meaningful change, those changes need to start with former Oilers’ GM, and current President of Hockey Operations Kevin Lowe, and that new blood must be brought for all aspects of their pro hockey operation. While I do like the Oilers recent work in amateur scouting, led by Stu MacGregor, the pro hockey operation just has not produced on ice success in a long time, and these moves are just a rehash of previous attempts to solve the Oilers problems, attempts that failed.
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photo credit: Colby Cosh via photopin cc
