EDMONTON — There are some constants that have been established in Edmonton, over the arc of a competitive window that has lasted for most of a decade.
They are cemented in Edmonton’s culture, some good, some not so good. And the solution has always been the same: Fire the coach.
But after this much time, whether we like them or not, we should recognize exactly what these forces are and shape them accordingly, as the end of the Connor McDavid window rises on the horizon.
One: The Oilers possess an elite ability to score, aided by the best power play in the National Hockey League. It’s an inherent advantage, and must be leveraged.
Two: That offence will get you to the playoffs every year. How far they go after that, however, is dictated by the Oilers’ collective ability to keep pucks out of their own net. Offence is your strong suit, sure. Defence wins championships.
Three: There is an issue of inclusivity that has existed for years in Edmonton’s dressing room. The fourth line can not be asked to play the same way the first line does — or vice versa — but the entire roster has to be made to feel like it is part of the process. The depth guys cannot simply be spectators, just as the top guys can not be asked to provide every element a team needs to succeed.
Four: Management has panicked in its fevered search for goaltending, undermining the confidence of players, coaches, fans and media. Can Stan Bowman and Jeff Jackson — who have presided over an ever-diminishing asset for two seasons now — finish the job here?
Let’s start there, as the Oilers fire yet another coach in Kris Knoblauch, an act that happens every second season in Northern Alberta, like someone changing the air filter in their lawn mower.
“We (the front office) are definitely part to blame for where we are today. I don't think that we're trying to hide from that,” Oilers general manager Bowman said on Wednesday, in announcing the poorly kept secret that Knoblauch had been fired after just 233 games — and two Stanley Cup Finals — as coach. “We had players who didn't perform to the level they should. We had players that I brought in that didn't perform to the level that we expected them to — so that's on myself.
“There's blame to be had by all of us, myself included.”
So, as we wait for the Vegas Golden Knights to give up their swing at the playground — even though they’ve no intention of playing on it anymore — to allow Bowman to interview Bruce Cassidy, it becomes clear what qualities will be required from the 10th coach in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ NHL career.
He must, first and foremost, crack the code of allowing Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard their offensive flair, but demand that it is flexed within the context of a team game.
No more backhand passes through three sticks at the top of the offensive zone by Draisaitl, or Bouchard toe-dragging defenders while the last man back, when nursing a 3-2 lead with eight minutes to play.
And just because McDavid stands up on the bench and looks over his shoulder, it does not always mean he gets the nod from his coach. Other guys want to play too.
Bowman, who really had no strong opinion on how Knoblauch became the one to lose his job when so many others performed so poorly last season, knows he needs more buy-in from his leaders when it comes to a defensive posture.
“That would help, there's no question,” he said. “There is that fine line. They do things that no one else can do, and there is an element of risk to that. Calibrating that (properly) is the Midas Touch: How can you not take away from what they can do that no one else can do? But, there are elements of their game (last season) that, at times, wasn't a strength.
“So, that (buy-in) would help, without a doubt.”
Among other transactions last season, Bowman provided Knoblauch with a seven-point player on an eight-year contract in Trent Frederic, a free-agent acquisition who never meshed in Anderew Mangiapane, and the GM topped off his handiwork with the Tristan Jarry trade, a debacle in its purest form.
On the ice, McDavid termed the regular season “monotonous,” and despite having two top-10 NHL scorers and the highest-scoring defenceman, Edmonton defended its way to a goals differential of plus-13, which was 14th-best in the NHL despite being the league’s seventh-highest scoring team.
Defence and goaltending. It has to be the focus in Edmonton, and Bowman must now find a coach who can make that demand stick with these high-end players.
“At the end of the day, the coaches aren't on the ice. The players are on the ice doing it,” Bowman said. “How can you … hold them accountable, or enforce that to a greater degree? Whether the word is compliance, or you get more consistent performance?
“When they've shown they can do it, but they don't always do it, then the question is, ‘Well, how can we get there?’” Bowman asked. “Can you find a coach that can get the most out of those guys?
“That's what we're looking for.”
They’re looking everywhere, here in Edmonton.
Everywhere but the mirror.
