Francis: Oilers, MacTavish need to change culture

Craig-MacTavish

Former Edmonton Oilers general manager and head coach Craig MacTavish. (Jason Franson/CP)

Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun joined Brady and Walker on Sportsnet The Fan 590 Tuesday morning to discuss the Oilers’ first win of the season and the fate of general manager Craig MacTavish.

According to Francis, MacTavish joined the Oilers with a plan to make “bold” moves, but fans are slowly giving up on this team as they’re still waiting for something to change for the better. With all of the young talent in Edmonton, perhaps it’s time to move one of them in a trade to encourage a culture change.

“He has done nothing bold whatsoever since he took over as GM and they need to change that culture,” Francis said. “That culture there, the attitude of the players quietly behind closed doors is just garbage. These guys are professionals, they don’t act like professionals, they’re not being professionals by the way they play.”


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The Oilers have plenty of talent on paper with stars such as Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle and Nail Yakupov. Francis believes Yakupov will be the one to leave since he is thought to be the weakest of the four first round picks.

“You have to break up the old gang, that old gang that goes out and loses every night,” he said. “You’ve got to do something to shake it up.”

Francis finds it hard to pinpoint what is wrong in Edmonton and what needs to be fixed. But he pointed out that an elite goaltender would allow the team to play with more confidence.

The big question being asked, though, is whether head coach Dallas Eakins should stay.

“Keep Eakins there, he’s got a pretty good track record in the minors and he’s well respected around the league,” Francis said. “Give him a chance to run with it a little longer than this. It’s the upper levels they need to make some very major changes obviously.”

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