With Edmonton Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson announcing recently that he expects to name a new general manager within the next week, speculation and rumours have ran rampant on who that person will be. Right now, the name that appears to be in the lead is current owner and GM of the OHL’s London Knights, Mark Hunter. However, rumours of talks with former disgraced Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman have also been swirling, even a suggestion of them both being hired in some capacity.
But going with usual candidates isn’t always a recipe for success, and is also frankly boring. Why not go outside the box?
Geoff Jackson
Look, we know Jackson doesn’t want the job. But if you ask anyone in the hockey world right now, they will say that he absolutely knocked the offseason out of the park as acting GM. With the Oilers cap constraints, many expected the team to walk back the majority of the team and maybe add a depth player or two.
Instead, Jackson went big game hunting, landing five-time 20-goal scorer (two seasons of which were over 30 goals) Viktor Arvidsson and 10-time 20-goal scorer (including five 30-goal seasons and one 40-goal season) Jeff Skinner to team friendly deals. The types of which are usually reserved for players currently playing for that team, not for outside free agents.
Jackson worked even more magic, getting the great line of Mattias Janmark, Connor Brown, and Adam Henrique also re-signed to team friendly deals, and finally capped it off with trading Ryan McLeod for one of the top prospects in hockey in Matthew Savoie.
But, Jackson said he didn’t want the job and was going to find someone else. He has to stay true to his word and I respect that. However, after a performance like that, no one would be mad at him in this case.
If he wants to stick by his principles, however, then perhaps he performs a little “master of disguise” and hires his twin brother Geoff, who 100% exists. Jackson can just put on a bigger fake moustache and no one will be the wiser.
Peter Draisaitl
One of the biggest items on the agenda for the new GM is to sign Leon Draisaitl to a contract extension. Well, like the Oilers hiring McDavid’s former agent for CEO and former junior coach for head coach, why not throw some of that love Draisaitl’s way?
Draisaitl’s dad isn’t exactly a nobody either, unlike me (although, from glossing over his Wikipedia page I see no mention of any experience in either ball or inline hockey). He has 18 years as player in the German league, and has been a head coach since 2017.
If he is negotiating with his dad, you gotta think he re-signs. Granted, there may be a slight conflict of interest and GM Draisaitl may give player Draisaitl an extremely large contract since, you know, it’s his son. But given Draisaitl ended up being on one of the best value contracts in the NHL previously, I think most Oilers fans would be ok with giving him a blank cheque to get him to stay.
Joe Biden
The Oilers are expected to name a GM sometime from July 23 onward. On July 21, US President Joe Biden announced he will no longer run for re-election this November. Coincidence? I think not.
Now you’re obviously thinking, is Biden really qualified for the GM job? Well, when it comes to the “Old Boys Club,” I don’t think you can get someone much older or in the club than Biden, the oldest president in US history.
Also, Biden noted that he likes Canadian NHL teams, except for the Leafs, so that right there gives him credibility. Sure, being a Philadelphia Flyers fan isn’t great, but then again, that gives us some outside perspective that could be useful.
Plus, can you imagine him in trade discussions where other GMs are being unreasonable and he just says “C’mon man!” Nothing more convincing than that. Also having the secret service at his disposal probably would help. Not saying that any GM would actually be in any real danger, but it’s the implication that would be effective.
Me
Hockey fans have been clamouring for the NHL and hockey world to infuse new blood into the game. We’ve already seen the first female assistant coach be appointed by the Seattle Kraken, so why not the first non-former NHL East Indian heritage GM?
I mean sure, Campbell has actual high level hockey credentials to make her a legitimate coach. But like, I did win U12 Inline hockey gold and U17 Ball Hockey Division B (ok may have been C) provincials. As we all know, playing in such a high level of ball hockey gives you instant credibility when it comes to knowledge of the game.
Plus, I write for this blog, so yeah, I think I know a thing or two about hockey (please don’t bring up my previous articles where I was dead wrong about stuff).
Oilers fans
I brought up this idea when it came to the Oilers coaching change in the fall, but I think it actually works even better for the GM position. After all, roster decisions aren’t quite as time sensitive as coaching ones, so the polling method would work much smoother.
The one issue is who would actually be the one having the conversations with the other GMs to be able to bring the possible options to the fans for a vote. Perhaps fans can rotate in that position every week, provided they buy the Super-Duper Platinum Premium Deluxe Membership.
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