Quote:
Originally Posted by sureLoss
He has been relegated to Special Advisor since June 2023 according to the Oilers website.
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He was always in over his head. Just Katz in lock step with Lowe collecting Hockey Canada peices at the time (Tambellini, even subsequently with Chiarelli, but that was over Lowe).
Nicholson was just in a political position with everyone in hockey and sponsors of hockey running to lick his boots when he was with HC, but when he has actual stuff to do with an NHL team he really had zero experience and provided nothing of value (outside of contacts suck as Chia and also Ken Hitchcock)
However that was fine because then Lowe could run things in that department too, as he did undermining coaches by talking directly to players for decades.
Crystal clear that this is a move to keep McDavid there, nothing more. I am sure that this was floated out years ago by McDavid as something to keep McDavid happy and have his people in positions of influence in the org.
Lowe, even though he was a puppteer and protected McDavid and Dria etc from any pesky team obligations, had to exit for that to happen, so that meant his media campaign to get elected into the HOF and then satisfy that rule to get his number retired in Edmonton had to be fulfilled and it was last year, was seemingly the reason he stayed for so long.
I don't think this guy takes over from Holland, but previous GMs have been impotent becuase someone else eventually tells Katz they can do better (Lowe) so Holland can deal with day to day and this guy deals with things to do with McDavid related stuff...we will see how that dynamic plays in the perpetually tiered dressing room.
What happened to the hubub around next David Poile in waiting, Keith Gretzky, from a few years ago?