Peter Chiarelli Out, Mark Hunter In? Odds to Be Oilers Next GM

• Peter Chiarelli is out as GM of the Edmonton Oilers
• Since 2013, the Oilers have had four GMs
• The Oilers have won just one playoff series since 2006

In the early 1980’s, the Edmonton Oilers suited up the best hockey player in the world, and dominated the NHL, winning four Stanley Cups from 1984-88.

In the late 2010’s, the Oilers suit up the best hockey player in the world, and are NHL doormats, making four first overall NHL entry draft selections between 2011-15.

From 1984-88, the Oilers played in 18 Stanley Cup playoff series, winning 17 of them. In the last 13 years, they’ve made the Stanley Cup playoffs once.

Here is JR's opinion on the state of the #Oilers current roster pic.twitter.com/qzJJTCJ58a

— BarDown (@BarDown) January 23, 2019

The difference in Edmonton can be summed up in one family. Wayne Gretzky, the NHL’s best player, was Edmonton’s leader during the Oilers’ halcyon days. His younger brother Keith Gretzky, was named interim general manager of the Oilers when Peter Chiarelli was fired on Tuesday.

UPDATE: Edmonton #Oilers announce Keith Gretzky will assume GM duties and Bob Nicholson will oversee hockey operations as the team looks for a new general manager to replace Peter Chiarelli #TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/sGrzK88h0s

— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) January 23, 2019

Edmonton has begun a search for a new GM, evidently deciding that with this team, a Gretzky won’t be their savior.

Edmonton Oilers General Manager Odds

Edmonton currently sits 13th overall in the NHL’s 15-team Western Conference, but just three points out of a playoff spot.

Will Oilers Leave their Comfort Zone?

For years, the main qualification to run the Oilers was to have been an Oiler. Three of the team’s first five GMs were former Edmonton players. Outside hires were guys who’d been GMs of other NHL teams – Chiarelli (Boston Bruins) and Steve Tambellini (Vancouver Canucks).

Here's a list of potential GM's for the Edmonton Oilers#ThisIsOilCountry pic.twitter.com/3X7blWX8gR

— Darryl Keeping (@dkeeping) January 23, 2019

Team president Bob Nicholson seems to succinctly understand that they way they’ve done things in the past only paved a path to disaster.

It's clear the Oilers failings run much deeper than the GM or coach. Bob Nicholson acknowledges as much. "There's something in the water here in Edmonton that we don't have right."

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) January 23, 2019

The fact of the matter is that the Oilers play in a state of the art facility, and have some solid pieces in place in Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and two-time Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid, the NHL’s most talented player.

Peter Chiarelli should have been fired before more damage was done. But at some point, someone needs to save Connor McDavid from the Oilers. https://t.co/H1VcNbqSsB

— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) January 24, 2019

That they’ve actually regressed since drafting the best player to come into the NHL since Sidney Crosby is an indictable offense, Exhibit A that the way they do things must change.

Is Hunter the Hunted?

Early speculation placed former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant GM Mark Hunter as the front runner for the Oilers GM job. Oddsmakers earmarked Hunter as one of five co-favorites for the job at odds of +500. We think it’s going to be another of this group of five who gets the nod – Vegas Golden Knights assistant GM Kelly McCrimmon.

Kelly McCrimmon could well be Nicholson's No. 1 GM object for Edmonton Oilers https://t.co/u5FpM1SDfr pic.twitter.com/MbZvmFHZGS

— Edmonton Journal (@edmontonjournal) January 24, 2019

He’s from Western Canada and helped assemble the Golden Knights into a first-year NHL team that made it to the Stanley Cup final. Vegas GM George McPhee already indicated that he wouldn’t stand in McCrimmon’s way if a GM job came along.