Nicholson is and was a glad hander at Hockey Canada and was approved by Wayne and that's also where the Chia tie came from, as he was part of the 2010 Olympic executive (as was Tambelleni previously) . Just another person with a title that Katz collected, and really no experience in running an NHL franchise, which is much different than a political post with Hockey Canada.
LOL at Staples thinking Lowe isn't elbows deep in any decision going forward. GM choice, draft, day to day decisions, he's back. It's more likely Lowe telling Staples to throw that in there. McTavish was his puppet since he finally let him go as coach, and he's been the spy on the ground for Lowe since Lowe was relegated to the shadows after being demoted when Chia was hired.
Bottom line, Lowe will find the GM that gives the impression is a change or a forward thinker. It will be someone he can control through MacTavish and that Nicholson can formerly hire and get credit for interviewing and "choosing",and take the blame when that GM falls flat in trying to change an organization that doesn't really want it becuase of a guy like Lowe sinking the franchise into the toilet with his ego, yet is back to calling the shots and being the most trusted advisor of the owner.
The Oilers are carefully peeling back the layers of the onion and its looking thankfully the same rotten peice that it was before. Nicholson is the new face, and Lowe keeps a low profile, but at some point he's going to speak and be front and center, if only in a brief moment of weekness (like when the tier 1 fan presser went sideways after he got flustered as an example) as his ego can't be kept in check.
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