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Oilers coach may be in trouble with GM based on decision with 3 rookie forwards
Photo credit: Edmonton Oilers Raw
The Edmonton Oilers are gearing up to play the Philadelphia Flyers today, and all eyes will be on Coach Knoblauch's usage of their new «kid line».
The Oilers have called up Isaac Howard and Quinn Hutson in an effort to shake up the bottom six and find some offence. They'll play with Matt Savoie as their center, but the question is: will they play much at all?
Oilers analyst says Knoblauch could be in trouble by usage of new kid line
GM Stan Bowman has done his part to find younger, skilled players to build out the Oilers' future and rightfully move them to the NHL. The problem is, Coach Knoblauch has been heavily reluctant to trust these players - and Bowman's plan - earlier this year.
Hutson and Howard both played mostly under 6 minutes in their stints with the Oilers this year. That's such little ice time that they'd be better off playing in the minors. However, the justification for playing the veterans just isn't there anymore - they're getting outscored brutally in their minutes.
Oilers analyst Allan Mitchell has called out Coach Knoblauch saying he must give the kid line a fair shot with at least 10 minutes of ice time. If the coach doesn't, he's actively playing 3 struggling vets above them and undermining the GM's plan.
When you can't a third and fourth line to score at 50%, then I think that's on the management and the coaching staff. They owe it to this team, the players, and they sure as hell owe it to the fans to give these guys an opportunity.
If we come along a week from now, and we're talking six minutes for Howard and Hutson, then there should be more hell.
- Allan Mitchell
If we come along a week from now, and we're talking six minutes for Howard and Hutson, then there should be more hell.
- Allan Mitchell
It's impossible for the Oilers to see what they truly have in these players if Knoblauch refuses to give them consistent opportunity. It will also stunt their development, hurt their confidence, and set the Oilers back in the future. They need to be given a chance.
If Knoblauch just benches the rookie line again tonight, it's a borderline shot at the GM. We'll see what happens today, but all eyes will be on how the kids play - and how Knoblauch uses them.
| POLL | ||
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