Krueger out as head coach of the Oilers

[hf101]

Multiple sources saying the Oilers have fired Head Coach Ralph Krueger.

They are also saying Dallas Eakins will be the new Head Coach of the Edmonton Oilers.

I think the decision to change coaches has more to do with who was available as Eakins was also a strong candidate in Dallas.

[flyercanuck]

@hf101

Eakins should make a very good NHL coach. He's done a nice job in the A and is well repsected by his players and peers.

[OccamsRazor]

Eakins should make a very good NHL coach. He's done a nice job in the A and is well repsected by his players and peers.

Jake Gardiner for 7th overall pick???????

We'll see....

[flyercanuck]

Jake Gardiner for 7th overall pick???????

We'll see....

Gardiner is NOT the kind of defencemen the Oilers need. Sure he can help, but they need someone big and nasty who can help prevent goals.

[OccamsRazor]

Gardiner is NOT the kind of defencemen the Oilers need. Sure he can help, but they need someone big and nasty who can help prevent goals.

Just figured he and Schultz were such good friends maybe they would like to play together only if both clubs were interested and cared...so far when it comes to actually playing defense they both have a looooong way to go.

[flyercanuck]

@OccamsRazor

Fairly similiar players, right? Not good to have on at the same time, except maybe during pps.

[OccamsRazor]

@OccamsRazor

Fairly similiar players, right? Not good to have on at the same time, except maybe during pps.

Yes they are...i'm not an Oiler fan so not even sure sometimes where they are headed or what their plan is....but i guess the same can be said for the Flyers.

I'm just waiting till the 15th to see if the Flyers have the balls to admit their mistake and purge it from the team...till then can only hope.

[JR Ewing]

Old thread, but you can see why MacTavish made the change, even after saying that he didn't think Krueger was a big problem.

There's things that RFK did that I was happy with. He didn't over-start Nik Khabibulin the way that Tom Renney did. That alone was nice to see. I think his downfall came from certain key things:

a] RFK refused to line match, giving us situations where his worst players would often find themselves on the ice against the Datsyuk-types.

b] Gave 4th line players like Mike Brown, Ben Eager and Lennart Petrell way too many minutes.

c] Gave those guys extremely tough Zone Starts.

d] Tended to put them out after TV timeouts or right after Oilers PP events, when they'd be facing the best opposition scorers.

The biggest mistake seems to have been in employing a defensive system which left the Oilers constantly defending odd-man situations where the wingers were forced to only play certain areas. I'm not saying that those things necessarily cost him his job, but all of us who watched Craig MacTavish coach know there isn't a way in hell that he would have made those decisions. After awhile, if you're looking for an associate coach who sees the game your way, then you might as well just put him in as head coach if you think he's better than the guy you already have.

JR

[flyercanuck]

@JR Ewing

Lets face it, most gms are going to put their man in. They may give the present coach a year, maybe two. But they're really just waiting to fire him.

[JR Ewing]

@JR Ewing

Lets face it, most gms are going to put their man in. They may give the present coach a year, maybe two. But they're really just waiting to fire him.

Yeah, it's just about always the case, and for good reason. I wasn't totally stunned (or unhappy) when Krueger was let go, for the very reason you mention. Still, it stood in contrast to what MacTavish had publicly just a couple of weeks earlier:

"I think it’s fair to say that there’s a very remote chance that where we are right now has anything to do with coaching... We’ve gone through four coaches in the last number of years, so for me to say it’s Ralph Krueger’s fault right now would be extremely shortsighted on my part. I give Ralph a lot of credit for the way he’s maintained a positive atmosphere."

I'm guessing that after MacTavish interviewed Eakins for the associate position, he came away very impressed by him and decided to change course, because what happened is pretty far from how the week started out. Just days before he was let go, Krueger was involved in finding his associate.

JR

[jammer2]

@JR Ewing Nice to have an Oilers fan in here that knows what's up. Maybe you can settle a difference of opinion I've had in here. Another poster is basically claiming that the Oilers, by not going gung ho into the free agent market with big additions, are teaching the kids that losing is accpetable. I think the opposite, they are sitting back, trying to figure out just when their window opens and will then plan accordingly.

I think by letting the kids mature and then adding what they need, they are being smart. They have provided veteran leadership, last year by adding Belanger, Hordinchuck and Ryan Smyth. Then, to add to those vets, they brought in Perron and Ferreance....both fine quality additons. They are supporting the kids but not commiting to the long term deals that break your back.

I think a big part of thier plan is revealed next year, that's if Dubnyk is indeed the goalie of the future. He showed improvement last year with more playing time, he must take his game to the next level now, evolve if you will.

[JR Ewing]

@JR Ewing Nice to have an Oilers fan in here that knows what's up. Maybe you can settle a difference of opinion I've had in here. Another poster is basically claiming that the Oilers, by not going gung ho into the free agent market with big additions, are teaching the kids that losing is accpetable. I think the opposite, they are sitting back, trying to figure out just when their window opens and will then plan accordingly.

Jeez, I thought the Oilers were pretty actively on free agent day, actually. They identified weaknesses (top 4 defense, top tier 3rd line tough minutes centre, and backup goaltender) and aggressively went after them. They've since added a good top 6 forward and more depth to their defense than the club has seen since Opening Day 2007. Big game hunting and overpaying for Clarkson (which they attempted to do) doesn't really help them very much anyway. Seems like the furthest thing from accepting losing.

I think by letting the kids mature and then adding what they need, they are being smart. They have provided veteran leadership, last year by adding Belanger, Hordinchuck and Ryan Smyth. Then, to add to those vets, they brought in Perron and Ferreance....both fine quality additons. They are supporting the kids but not commiting to the long term deals that break your back.

I'll admit that I wanted nothing to do with Hordichuk (can't take or make a pass), but am happy with the additions you mention for this year. The issue with the team is depth, and they've gone some ways to address it. I would DEFINITELY be happier if they improved:

3LW

4C

4RW

I would be a much happier man.

-I don't want Ryan Jones anywhere near tough minutes or tough zone starts

-Getting an actual NHL centreman to play 4th line minutes would be good, as I'm not convinced Lander is that guy.

-I want nothing to do with Mike Brown.

I think a big part of thier plan is revealed next year, that's if Dubnyk is indeed the goalie of the future. He showed improvement last year with more playing time, he must take his game to the next level now, evolve if you will.

I was pretty happy when the trade for Cory Schneider didn't pan out. Dubnyk is, at worst, a league average goalie, and not really their biggest fish to fry.

JR

[jammer2]

@JR Ewing I just like how they have added veteran toughness and skill without the long term commitment. Clarkson would have been a big mistake for them, not what is needed right now. They may tweak the positions you mentioned, and should. I still have trouble believing Grabo is out there for the taking. If they could secure his services and move everyone down a notch and insert him at #2 or 3 center, the off season will have been a huge success in my eyes. I love the way Grabo plays the defensive side of the center positon, and if they paired him with legit wingers, I believe 25-30 goals is realistic. He would be a pretty low cap hit , maybe a one year 2 mill deal or something like that...I'd much rather have Grabo than Dustin Penner, who just signed an identical contract. Lot's of NHL GM's are missing the boat here.

[JR Ewing]

@JR Ewing I just like how they have added veteran toughness and skill without the long term commitment. Clarkson would have been a big mistake for them, not what is needed right now.

I think the Leafs are going to be regretting that deal a few years in, when they see so much money going towards a player who won't really score that much. Not saying Clarkson's a bad player, but he's going to be making more than Taylor Hall in a couple of years, and I know who I (and almost anybody else) would rather have for that kind of dough.

They may tweak the positions you mentioned, and should. I still have trouble believing Grabo is out there for the taking. If they could secure his services and move everyone down a notch and insert him at #2 or 3 center, the off season will have been a huge success in my eyes. I love the way Grabo plays the defensive side of the center positon, and if they paired him with legit wingers, I believe 25-30 goals is realistic. He would be a pretty low cap hit , maybe a one year 2 mill deal or something like that...I'd much rather have Grabo than Dustin Penner, who just signed an identical contract. Lot's of NHL GM's are missing the boat here.

I have to admit that I don't really get it either. He was compeltely mismanaged last year in Toronto, had a good year, and his name was still dragged in the mud. Quality hockey player who routinely has the puck moving the right way and under difficult circumstances. My guess is that if were willing to sign a 1-year, $2MM deal, he'd already be signed. He's worth more than that, I think, but GMs don't seem to see it that way.

Probably a combination of his lack of size being held against him (which I don't get; he's good despite not being big) and the idea of being bad in the locker room (which I can't personally talk about at all)

JR

[flyercanuck]

@JR Ewing

BTW I think the Eakins signing was a great move. Perfect guy to bring in with all that young talent. I was actually hoping Philly would fire Lavilette and bring him in.

[JR Ewing]

@JR Ewing

BTW I think the Eakins signing was a great move. Perfect guy to bring in with all that young talent. I was actually hoping Philly would fire Lavilette and bring him in.

I think that Eakins seems like the right guy to bring in, and now we have to wait for the returns. What we know about him:

-The Marlies experienced big improvements in W/L, goal differential, and shot differential.

-The Marlies got WAY better at even strength. The Oilers only line with real success in this regard is whichever one Taylor Hall is playing one.

-Eakins developed a large number of young players during his time as Marlies coach.

-Quite a large number of Leafs fans with brains are upset that he's gone. I like that, too.

I believe in playing multiple systems. I don’t follow the NFL, but I do know – I’ve read up on the NFL – where these football players get these huge stacks of playbooks and they have to know all these plays. And you have hockey teams that run one forecheck, one neutral zone forecheck, and they defend one way. That’s crazy to me. The one thing that we’ve been working on, the teams I’ve been coaching, is we have multiple systems, and we’ll switch in and out of them out of games, from game to game, and it’s important now. I tell you, you’re so heavily scouted and the pre-scouting that goes on against your team all the time, it’s tough to get around. If you can get your players prepared with multiple ways to play, and they’re comfortable with it, you can catch teams off-guard.

I don't know what it is, but I get the warm and fuzzies when I read an NHL coach who has this kind of approach. No offense against RFK, but I think he got the job based, more than a little bit, on his abilities as a motivational speaker and not so much on his abilities to run the Xs-and-Os of a hockey club.

JR

Edited July 19, 2013 by JR Ewing

[jammer2]

@JR Ewing So, I've been meaning to ask you about Taylor Hall? He was with my hometown Spitfires before we "leant" him to the NHL..lol. What do you think of Taylor as a player? I hope his zest for the game does not lead to injuries every season, but he does play with reckless disregard for his own body. In Windsor, we would complain when he tries to do "to much" ie go through the whole opposing team on a pk rather than make the safe play and dump it in. There was a lot of plays where he was trying to do the hot dog thing, and that was not necessarily what was best for the team. Don't get me wrong, love the kid, one of my favourite Spits ever (and that is 35+ years of OHL watching). His unbridled enthusiam was a bright spot in 09 and 10...to say the least.

[JR Ewing]

@JR Ewing So, I've been meaning to ask you about Taylor Hall? He was with my hometown Spitfires before we "leant" him to the NHL..lol. What do you think of Taylor as a player? I hope his zest for the game does not lead to injuries every season, but he does play with reckless disregard for his own body. In Windsor, we would complain when he tries to do "to much" ie go through the whole opposing team on a pk rather than make the safe play and dump it in. There was a lot of plays where he was trying to do the hot dog thing, and that was not necessarily what was best for the team. Don't get me wrong, love the kid, one of my favourite Spits ever (and that is 35+ years of OHL watching). His unbridled enthusiam was a bright spot in 09 and 10...to say the least.

Taylor Hall?

-Three-zone hockey player who, from day one, had the puck moving north. CorsiRel has only gotten better every year: +10 (21st), +15 (12th), +20(6th) from 2011 thru this past year.

-Has been playing tough competition since about game 10 of his career and was able to keep his head above water immediately.

-This past season he really pulled in on the more reckless side of his behaviour, spent less time spinning around on his butt and belly after trying to do too much.

-Backs off defenders and creates huge amounts of room for his linemates, and he really used it this year, when he made a purposeful point at trying to fill out his passing game. Went from 34 assists per 82 GP up to 62. Has really made strides from being that kid who tried to do too much on his own.

-Lost in the shuffle of him finishing 9th in NHL scoring was that he finished 2nd in the West. 22 years old, and was the second best scorer in his league.

-Underused. Was neck and neck with Toews for Pts/60: 3.15 (6th NHL, 2nd West), and with tougher minutes than many around him.

-If he was playing for the Leafs, Ranger, Bruins, etc, we'd be hearing about him ALL THE TIME. Wonderful young player.

JR

[jammer2]

@JR Ewing I'm expecting a 40 goal year from him, as long as he stays injury free. Having seen a whole of Taylor and Tyler (Plymouth is a direct division rival of the Spits), I was sure Edmonton made the right call here. The stories from the Stanley Cup playoffs just cemented those thoughts. He's gonna have a fantastic career. He's one of the top 5% in pure skating in the NHL, just wonderful top speed and balance. In junior he stood out even more, he would plant and BAM, he was gone....breathtaking to watch.

[JR Ewing]

@JR Ewing I'm expecting a 40 goal year from him, as long as he stays injury free. Having seen a whole of Taylor and Tyler (Plymouth is a direct division rival of the Spits), I was sure Edmonton made the right call here. The stories from the Stanley Cup playoffs just cemented those thoughts. He's gonna have a fantastic career. He's one of the top 5% in pure skating in the NHL, just wonderful top speed and balance. In junior he stood out even more, he would plant and BAM, he was gone....breathtaking to watch.

I'd love that. HIs skating really helps him, and it creates utter panic from opposing defensemen, since there's not a ton of them who can fend off that kind of speed.

What struck me was the collective "Wow!" from the Toronto crowd after the first goal. Serious wheels. There's plenty of guys that fast without the puck, not a whole lot of them can do it with the puck and get away a shot like that.

JR

Edited July 19, 2013 by JR Ewing