The Edmonton Oilers haven’t exactly been a model organization over the last couple of seasons. In fact, a collection of unforced errors and reactionary mistakes has led the team to regress this season.
One notable insider, however, ripped into the Oilers, pointing his finger towards an “organizational dysfunction.”
During a May 15 appearance on the Big Show with Rusic and Rose, insider Frank Servalli unloaded on Edmonton’s handling of the situation involving the messy coaching situation. In particular, Seravalli made it clear that the Oilers are far from an orderly operation.
“It feels like there’s a lot of organizational dysfunction. I think there’s separate factions that operate in that front office… I think it’s a very poorly run setup from top to bottom.”
By “separate” faction, it seems that Servalli alluded to the direction GM Stan Bowman has taken, while the other seems to be ownership. As such, it seems like Edmonton’s management situation is akin to the old proverb “too many cooks spoil the broth.”
If that’s the case, the organization will need to decide on a single course of action. Otherwise, the mess that was the entire Bruce Cassidy leak could just lead to even more turmoil as the Oilers seek to find a replacement for the departed Kris Knoblauch.
Cassidy Debacle Is What Got Oilers in Trouble in the First Place
None of the mess the Oilers find themselves in would have happened had news of their surreptitious coaching search gotten out.
But it was the fact that rumors leaked about Edmonton’s desire to speak to Cassidy that ended up precipitating Knoblauch’s dismissal.
According to insider Elliotte Friedman, it seems Edmonton just wanted to approach Cassidy’s camp to gauge interest. Unfortunately, word got out that the club was looking at another coach, and, well, it was impossible to keep Knoblauch after that.
Perhaps the organization wanted to keep Knoblauch, but by approaching the Vegas Golden Knights about wanting to speak to Cassidy, the cat was out of the bag.
Now, the Oilers find themselves in the midst of a coaching search they might not have been ready for. Meanwhile, Knoblauch’s name has rang around the league as a suitable option for other teams looking to fill vacancies.
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Something Has to Change in Edmonton
The Oilers’ regression this season has been the result of mismanagement across the board. The loss of Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to dual offer sheets put the organization in a very tight spot.
Then, the lack of a suitable solution in the crease prompted the hasty decision to trade for Tristan Jarry. That move cost the Oilers another strong blueliner in Brett Kulak.
Additionally, Edmonton has been unable to add solid depth pieces to complement Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. That situation led to the team overly relying on its star, who played most of the postseason through injuries.
With those examples in mind, something has to change in Edmonton. The Oilers can’t continue doing business this way if they are to win a Stanley Cup. The fact is that the team has one more season of Connor McDavid before the noise increases again.
The Oilers have to win next season or face the possibility of McDavid leaving for greener pastures.
Oilers Ripped by Insider for ‘Organizational Dysfunction’