Todd McLellan Relieved of Coaching Duties; He’s Edmonton’s Scapegoat

There has been already a couple of in season firings this season across the NHL. The Edmonton Oilers decided to fire Head Coach Todd McLellan on Tuesday. Ken Hitchcock will take over as the head coach for Edmonton.

Hitchcock is coming out of retirement at the age of 66 years old. McLellan was in his fourth season as the Oilers coach. His record with them was 123-119-24. He led them to the postseason in the 2015-2016 season. They were the number two seed in the Pacific Division that season. Edmonton lost in seven games in the second-round against the Anaheim Ducks.

After that season, General Manager Peter Chiarelli decided to get rid of some key role players like Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Eberle. It hurt Edmonton the next season and it has hurt them this season. Chiarelli is the one responsible for this mess right now and not McLellan. Mark Letestu was also traded at the trade deadline last season to the Columbus Blue Jackets and he was also a part of the Oilers success in 2015-2016.

Todd McLellan is being the scapegoat for Chiarelli’s problems. The Edmonton Oilers record so far this season is 9-10-1 with 19 points. They have scored 57 goals so far this season, but they have given up 66 goals. Edmonton is currently in sixth place in the Pacific Division. The Oilers have lost their last six out of seven games.

Other than Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, they have a terrible roster and their no depth on it. Those three players have 28 goals scored. The rest of the roster has a combined 29 and that is very alarming.

Depth has been a major concern for this team and in order to win a Stanley Cup, teams must rollout three to four solid lines.

Peter Chiarelli has not drafted well at all and that is also why the Edmonton Oilers are a mess. Connor McDavid must carry this team night in and night out. When you pay someone 11 million a year, it is vital to draft well and get him the help he needs.

When Edmonton misses the postseason again this year, the franchise will need to look in the mirror and realize what the real problem was. Ken Hitchcock will not be able to get the most of his team.

Chiarelli has been with the Edmonton Oilers since 2015 and his seat must be warm right now. They should get rid of him at the end of the season. He messed up something good after the 2016-2017 season.

Peter Chiarelli panicked because Edmonton lost the series in the second-round and he felt like he needed to make massive changes. Instead, Chiarelli should have kept the same roster he did that season.

I have told many people that Todd McLellan being fired as the head coach in Edmonton is unfair. McLellan was given a terrible roster to work with and Chiarelli set him up to fail. He probably thought because Connor McDavid was around, he could carry this team night in and night out and it doesn’t work like that. If the Edmonton Oilers don’t make the necessary changes in the near future to help McDavid, they will be waste his prime years even though he is 21 years old.

 

– Glenn Kaplan, WTF Sports Contributor

 

Edited by Scott Edwards

Tale of the Tape: Sidney Crosby vs Connor McDavid

It feels that once Connor McDavid came to the league, Sidney Crosby may actually need to care about being taken over as the best player in the world. So that brings us to the question that everyone continues to ask every single season now, who is the best player in the world, Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid?

Hey, let’s go with youngest to oldest. What has McDavid done in three seasons? Rookie season – Missed almost half the season due to injury, played 45 games, scored 48 points. I don’t know about you, but hey, pretty good start. Second season, which turned out to be his first full season. Connor played all 82 games, resulting in 30 goals, 70 assists, and a league leading 100 points. He brought the Oilers back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in years, and oh yeah, he won the MVP (Hart Memorial Trophy) when he got to play a complete season. There is something so special about McDavid at such a young age that it is almost like people forget that he is only 21 years old. At the age of 20, he was already a one time all-star. And this past season, he showed that he may be even better, if that is even possible. McDavid scored a new career high of 41 goals while adding 67 assists to lead the league back to back years with 108 points. He is a different specimen that it feels we have never really seen before on the ice. He won a second consecutive Art Ross Trophy as the leagues top scorer, as well as his second consecutive Ted Lindsay Award, as being chosen as the Most Outstanding Player by his colleagues and players around the league. The only reason he did not get MVP was because this isn’t like the MLB where they just give out the MVP for stats unfortunately, you have to put stats with team success to really get that recognition. However, still a special honor.

Now let us take a look at what Sidney Crosby has done so far in his career. First off, the scariest thing about Sidney Crosby is the fact that he turns 31 in August. He has done so much already, and thankfully he isn’t even close to being done. And you can say all that you want about Crosby, trust me, as a Bruins fan you hear it all the time. But do not be a hater, it just makes you look bad. He can be called “soft”, but when he is dominating game in and game out, I don’t think he really cares how you feel about him. What is more unfortunate is how much of “Sid the Kid” we missed out on for a few seasons there. He continuously had concussion problems and it starting to feel like he wouldn’t get over them ever. Oh, but he has. Crosby has done everything there is to do in the sport of hockey. He has captained three Stanley Cup winning teams, winning the Conn Smythe in the most recent two as the most valuable player of the playoffs. He has won World Junior Gold all the way back in 2005, captained Canada to two Olympic Gold Medals in 2010 and 2014 and helped lead Canada to the World Cup of Hockey Gold Medal in 2016, where he also was the leading scorer and MVP.

Crosby’s success isn’t just about points and MVPs (which he has two of), but he is a top leader who continues to lead his teams to success on the biggest stages every time. Crosby has been at the top of the mountain of greatness for what it feels to be forever, being the automatic answer for most people out there for years as the league, and worlds, top player. But now, for the first time in what feels to be a long time, he has serious competition in that regard. Look at what I laid out for you regarding Connor McDavid. He has played three seasons, two full in which those two he led the entire National Hockey League in points. McDavid has already left a huge mark on the league and in people’s minds. His ability game in and game out, the way he is able to use his league best speed:

See Ya.

His stellar passing:

Nope. Not Fair.

Oh My Nasty

And his unbelievable ability to score:

Oh.

Leaves people looking at McDavid as the best player in hockey right now.

Well, as great at he is, people would be wrong.

Leadership, the ability to play at your best year in and year out, and his ability in the playoffs (21 pts in 12 playoff gms this season) has Sidney Crosby still atop the entire NHL as the best in hockey right now.

And while it is only a matter of time McDavid takes over, Crosby will continue to prove that he is still the best and that he would do great in tomorrow’s home run derby:

So, what do you think? Do you take the proven winner in Crosby as the world’s best? Or do you think Connor McDavid has taken over as the best in the world today?

Whatever you are think, let us know!

-Scott Edwards, Creator of WTF Sports