Oilers Letters: Are McDavid and Draisaitl ‘coach killers’?

It’s time to dig into this week’s Letters to the Editor. Want to join in the fun? Details about how to reach out are at the bottom of the article.

Are Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl coach killers?

In the McDavid and Draisaitl era, the Edmonton Oilers have run through 5 coaches.

McLellan – 3+ years. .508 point%, 1-1 playoff record. Made playoffs 1 -of 3 seasons

Hitchcock – 62 games. .484 point%. No playoffs.

Tippett – 2+ years, .596 point%. 0-2 playoffs. Made playoffs in both seasons

Woodcroft – 133 games, .643 point%. 3-2 playoffs, Made playoff both seasons

Knoblauch – 3-ish seasons, .585 point%, 7-3 playoff record. Made playoffs 3 times. 2 conference titles.

Soon, there will be a sixth head coach in season 12 of this era. So coaches have a two-season life expectancy. It is fair to call the McDrai teams “coach killers,” and by extension, so is the McDrai pair. Basically, if there’s no Stanley Cup, you are fired.

Perhaps it is just the unrealistic expectations that “cup or bust” is the metric used to determine if a coach can be kept. But it’s pretty clear when you sign on to coach the current era of the Oilers, your best move if to rent on a month-to-month basis.

Ed McConaghy

(Coach killer? Qu’est-ce que c’est?)

What happened to the rugged, physical version of Trent Frederic?

What happened to the old Freddy Eric???

I remember hating/loving him on the Bruins early in his career. He was a rugged, cheap, physical player who you would love to hate but love to have. He would initiate scrums, stick up for teammates, and hit everything that moved  — everything you would want in a power forward! Since he’s been traded here, minus the opener where he was the Frederic of old, he’s been a ghost of his former self. That version I would’ve gladly signed for eight years. This one, not so much. If he doesn’t revert back to his form from his Bruin days. This could be a candidate for the worst contract in Oilers history. Please Frederic of old, come back!

– Zigmund Luna, President of the Frederic Fan Club (but considering withdrawing from his position)
YEG