If Oilers coach Tom Renney is vacationing on a beach right now, you have to wonder if he’s caught wind of the latest coaching rumours floating around Edmonton. Like the one about Brent Sutter being a potential candidate for the Oilers head coaching job. It’s been all the rage since Sutter and the Calgary Flames parted ways last week.
Rumours aside, it will be interesting to see if the Oilers bring back Renney next year after another poor finish.
I understand that someone reading this might say, ‘Why give a head coach who in two seasons has led the team to 30th and 29th place finishes another chance?’
The biggest reason is growth.
Although the Oilers only finished one spot higher in the standings,
They improved in almost every area imaginable. They recorded seven more wins and 12 more points; they went up in goals for by 21 and down in goals against by 21. Their power play also improved by 6.6 per cent and their penalty kill was up 5.4 per cent.
There is also the growth of the kids.
Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jeff Petry and Devan Dubnyk all became better players. Much of the credit should be given to each individual, but some should fall on the shoulders of the coach.
It was a bone of contention for fans throughout the season that Renney didn’t lean more heavily on the kids. The consensus was that the Oilers weren’t making the playoffs so why not unleash Eberle, Hall and Nugent-Hopkins on the opposition more frequently. Renney’s approach was distinctly different and that’s why Ryan Smyth and Shawn Horcoff averaged almost two minutes more ice time per game than the kids. The difference wasn’t as significant as the season wore on but Renney wanted to coddle the kids a little bit and not force feed them ice time. Hard to argue the results with Eberle’s point production escalating by 33, Hall by 11 and Nugent-Hopkins’ stand alone 52 points, which has him in the running for the Calder Trophy. Maybe there was a method to his madness.
But heading into next season you should expect the kids to play a bigger role.
Dubnyk is a good example of this philosophy. The Regina, Sask., native appeared in 45 games this season, winning 20 of Edmonton’s 32 games. The year before he played 35 games.
It’s clear that Renney takes his time with younger players. If this season was an example of that, it appears the experiment worked. Things are getting better for Edmonton and Renney is one of the reasons why.
Where the indifference lies is in the amount of credit he deserves. It kind of reminds you of another coach who had young stars.
To this day no one knows how much credit Glen Sather deserved for Edmonton’s five Stanley Cups. If Sather’s direct influence isn’t clear all these years later, than we certainly don’t know Renney’s. Giving him another season should make it clear whether he is the right man for the Oilers.