Chiarelli knows he’s on the hot seat
Stephen Whyno: Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli said that he is on the hot seat and “justifiably so.”
The big question for the Oilers is …..
Chris Nichols of Nichols on Hockey: Elliotte Friedman was on Sportsnet 650 and was talking about the Edmonton Oilers and their recent coaching change and what could be in store for the team and GM Peter Chiarelli.
“Look, it’s to the end of the year and then everything is up for debate. There’s no question about that.” offered Friedman. “I think the only thing about Chiarelli is if this doesn’t work and this really goes off the road, do they allow him to make any deals before the deadline. That’s going to be the big question. But it’s pretty obvious they’re trying to get to the end of the season, see if they can make the playoffs.”
Oilers – Untouchables to conceivable to keep in mind
Jonathan Willis of The Athletic: Edmonton Oilers
The Untouchables – Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Almost untouchable – Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse
Good luck with that – Milan Lucic, Andrej Sekera and Kris Russell.
Conceivable – Kailer Yamamoto and Ethan Bear.
Deadline possibilities – Cam Talbot and Mikko Koskinen.
What would be the point – Tobias Rieder, Ryan Spooner, Kyle Brodziak, Cooper Marody, Ty Rattie, Jujhar Khaira, Alex Chiasson, Kevin Gravel and Jason Garrison.
Plausible now – Zack Kassian, Drake Caggiula, Matt Benning and Al Montoya.
Keep in mind – Jesse Puljujarvi.
Chiarelli may need to get bold between now and the deadline
Chris Nichols of Nichols on Hockey: Darren Dreger as on TSN 1040 and was asked about the Oilers and their players.
Dreger notes that their goaltending is still a big question mark and if it doesn’t vastly improve, they may need to find a way to shore up in net.
“Chiarelli himself recently noted that they don’t have good transition defense. Alright, well, good luck trying to find a puck-moving defenseman unless you’re willing to dive into the free agent market and grab somebody. Is Tyler Myers going to be available, as an example. Well, if he is, he’s going to command high 6s. And then you get into cap issues where the Oilers are concerned.”
Chiarelli is still open for business according to Dreger and “may have to get a little bit more bold between now and the trade deadline.”