Mark Spector

Mark Spector is a columnist for sportsnet.ca

If the coaching change in Edmonton was all part of Tambellini's plan, why was it news to Quinn?

EDMONTON -- Precisely as Edmonton GM Steve Tambellini sat down behind a microphone at Rexall Place Tuesday, beginning his explanation on why Pat Quinn was "accelerated" upstairs after one year as the Oilers head coach, news was breaking that Florida GM Dale Tallon was mowing Tambellini's lawn with Boston.

Instead of Tambellini landing the Bruins 15th overall pick -- he spoke at length with Boston GM Peter Chiarelli on Saturday -- and bravely sending Boston a skilled winger in what has proven a cunning move by the Panthers GM, Tambellini was busy digging himself out in Edmonton.

Mired in the job of selling the concept that his plan for Quinn's ascension to the front office was so sound and well thought out, it happened faster than any of us could have thought.

"This was the right time for Pat at this position, the right time for Tom (Renney) at this position," said Tambellini, who made Quinn his Sr. Hockey Advisor, and named Renney the Oilers head coach. "Are we moved up one year? Yes. That's the reality of where the organization is at this point."

The reality of where this organization was on Tuesday, as Boston dealt away a delicious draft pick for returns that Tambellini easily could have bettered, is on the outside, looking in.

Was it mere coincidence for Tambellini, the timing of his press conference and the Boston-Florida trade?

Was it karma?

Was it just a misunderstanding that Tambellini painted Quinn as ready for this move, when a few hours later Quinn said he surely was not? You can judge that one for yourself.

This was the plan all along, Tambellini told us. He had simply "accelerated" it.

"If that was indeed the plan all along, in the sense of telling people ahead of time, it's probably not a good plan," Quinn said later, on a conference call.

This was in no way, by Quinn's way of thinking, a promotion.

"No, I'm certain it's not," Quinn said. "In a sense that it's not my decision. I had been looking forward to coaching the team next year. The decision was made, they'll have a place for me to continue to help them make their changes. (But) in a sense of, is it a promotion? I'd say not."

We won't know until about July 15th -- the rough timeline for Tambellini to have done some strong work at the draft to further Edmonton's rebuild, and chip away at a dressing room that should be without veterans Sheldon Souray and Ethan Moreau when camp opens in September -- how good a GM Tambellini might be.

He may recover fully this weekend in L.A., with some sharp moves that scratch this organization's myriad of itches.

For now, however, here is what we know for certain: Tambellini's first two major moves as GM of the Oilers were the hiring of Quinn as his head coach, and the signing of Nikolai Khabibulin as his goalie for four seasons.

Today, not quite two years into the job, Quinn has been sacked, er, promoted, while Khabibulin played 18 games before season-ending back surgery. The 37-year-old awaits a July 7 trial after being caught allegedly driving with more than twice the legal amount of alcohol in his blood on Super Bowl Sunday.

The possibility exists that Khabibulin trades the Oilers cage for one in the Arizona penal system.

In the end, rumblings all summer long about Quinn's inability to connect with the Oilers’ young core last seasons proved true. With more young blood on the way, at least give Tambellini credit for making this move and cutting his losses.

"I'm disappointed," said Quinn. "That team could have three kids come in at 19-years old (this season). I've worked with all of them, depending on who they draft. I looked forward to working well with them.

"The reorganization has gone deeper than I thought it was going to go."

Since the end of last season, Tambellini has fired the entire training staff, his assistant GM, a couple of scouts and now his head coach. This, after a season in which the Oilers led the NHL in man games lost to injury, including protracted time on the shelf by their No. 1 goalie (Khabibulin), their best forward (Ales Hemsky) and their best defenceman (Souray).

They played two minor league goalies exclusively, from December forward.

You'd think a GM might owe his coach a do-over, with luck like that.

"I don't think any human could have anticipated what happened to us last year," Quinn said. "It was disastrous, and it ended up costing us good hockey men in our trainers department. Somehow they got the finger pointed at them.

"But … that's what our upper hockey management has decided."

Feel free to question those decisions. At least until some better ones come along.