Edmonton Oilers: A Few Wins Don't Change a Thing

First and foremost, the Edmonton Oilers are playing decently and have now won three in a row and have not lost in regulation since December 19.  That's great.  It's a good streak that the Oilers need to keep going.  

Every point counts in the Western Conference.  At the beginning of April, one point might mean the difference between third and seventh place in the conference, or eighth with a playoff round and ninth with a golf round.

Second, this streak isn't likely to continue.  Call me a pessimist, but I think I'm a realist.  Nothing has really changed since the woes of October and November.  Other than Steve Tambellini finally sending Jeff Drouin-Delauriers to the minors, the Oilers are still cursed with the same old issues.  The only problem is, it takes a team like Chicago to bring it out in us.

The Oilers seem like a decent team when paired against the likes of Dallas, Calgary, and Vancouver, but as soon as we're faced with a dynamic team like the Blackhawks, the weaknesses begin to show.

I could beat to death the 9-2 loss on December 16th, but it won't do much.  We all know that the Oilers were creamed.  It wasn't surprising.  With the likes of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Martin Havlat, and Nikolai Khabibulin, it was inevitable that Edmonton was going to get outplayed.

The Oilers need to re-evaluate what works for them.  I hate to say it, but Craig MacTavish's style of coaching doesn't seem to be working.  And I do hate to say it.  I think he's a great coach, but I don't think he's a great fit in Edmonton.  In the eight years he's been here, the Oilers have not won a Stanley Cup, have only made it to the Stanley Cup finals once, and have missed the playoffs every single time since their miraculous run in 2006.  

There needs to be a significant change for the Oilers to begin to really and truly succeed.

The problem is, and the local radio station has tons of callers and analysts saying it, that MacTavish is well respected by the organization, and when he leaves, it will be on his own terms.  The respect is well deserved.  However, there comes a time when even a well respected man must be told what to do.  

MacTavish needs to step down or be replaced.  Teams across the league, most recently Carolina, have fired coaches for less.  Why not give him a prestigious, off-ice spot with the organization like what was done with Kevin Lowe, or gracefully bow out like the Edmonton Eskimos coach, Danny Maciocia?

MacTavish won't be without a job for long.  Even if he isn't coaching, he would make a great analyst for the likes of CBC, TSN, Sportsnet, or even an American network.  He knows the game, he understands it very well, and can speak eloquently about it.

A small streak doesn't mean much.  The Oilers have yet to win more than three in a row this year, which means statistically, they're due for a loss on Tuesday night.  Hopefully, Ottawa's own problems will hinder their ability to win and Edmonton can string together four wins.

Until then, my optimism for this season seems to be hiding behind realistic pessimism.