Peter Chiarelli was cautious in his introductory news conference as president of hockey operations and general manager with the Edmonton Oilers.The only real dig he took at the current team was its effort level.
“There’s a lot of good things here and exciting things, a lot of young legs,” he said. “They play fast, I’d like to see them play a little harder.”
While management has been the major issue with the Oilers, that sounded more like a shot at the coaching staff and interim boss Todd Nelson.
Whatever, it’s a tough line to walk when you come into an organization with a fanboy owner that probably still reveres now former general manager Craig MacTavish and team vice chair Kevin Lowe, whose role will transition out of hockey ops.