Logical Progression wrote:
So I guess Chiarelli just got lucky with the Bruins because his tenure as GM of the Oilers has been an absolute train wreck. It could take the next GM 3-4 more years to undo the damage he's done. If I were McDavId, I'd be outta there.
He deserves some credit for taking advantage of two front offices that somehow managed to be dumber than him--Ottawa and Toronto. Burke miscalculated badly on the Kessel deal and they summarily gifted two high 1st rounders to Chia, and Ottawa decided to bet on Wade Redden while Chia bet long on Zdeno Chara. I don't think anyone could have seen Chara playing at an elite level well into his forties and Redden pretty much imploding a few years after Z's departure, but what can ya do? They were also fortuitous in that Tim Thomas became one of the most unlikely Stanley Cup-winning goalies in league history.
He deserves credit for those moves as they were integral to the team winning a Stanley Cup, just like Burke deserved credit for the moves he made that pushed the Ducks over the top. I just don't understand how a guy can be allowed to stay for four years after moves that not only made the team demonstrably worse, but buried them in cap hell for years.
IMO firing Chiarelli won't make a damned bit of difference if there is not a much, much bigger shakeup. If the Boys on the Bus are continually allowed to throw coaches and GMs under it then poor Connor McDavid won't get even a sniff at a Stanley Cup Final before he's 35.