Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson gave a vote of confidence to general manager Peter Chiarelli, but stopped short of doing to same for coach Todd McLellan as the franchise considers its future in the wake of a disappointing playoff miss.
"He has a plan to get us in the playoffs next season," Nicholson said Thursday of Chiarelli, who also retains his title as president of hockey operations. "We will have a plan coming out in the near future about how we're going forward."
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Whether McLellan is a part of that plan remains open to interpretation.
Bob Nicholson confirms Peter Chiarelli will be back next season.
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Nicholson said the entire Oilers coaching staff is under evaluation. McLellan, hired in 2015, is 114-109 in three seasons with the Oilers, including leading the franchise to its first playoff berth in 11 years during the 2016-17 campaign. That 103-point season raised expectations tenfold this year, but Edmonton fell on its face, finishing 17 points out of the playoff race. Chiarelli and McLellan's job security has been precarious since the season went south months ago.
Nicholson did not elaborate further on the Oilers' plan, which presumably will include significant changes to the roster.
"Peter Chiarelli has got a very good relationship with other general managers in this league to make those trades," Nicholson said.
Many found that statement amusing, considering Chiarelli's less-than-stellar track record for making trades. Taylor Hall, dealt from Edmonton to New Jersey in a 2016 blockbuster, is a Hart Trophy favorite after ending the Devils' six-year playoff drought. Tyler Seguin, Phil Kessel and Dougie Hamilton are a couple other star players Chiarelli parted with as general manager of the Bruins. The Oilers can't stand to jettison more talent from its roster, so whatever the plan is will need to be a creative one.
