McKenzie: Everybody but Hall in play from Oilers

Bob McKenzie was on Edmonton’s TSN 1260 on Monday morning.

On the Oilers' issues:

“So what it really boils down to is Craig MacTavish doesn’t believe that Dallas Eakins is the problem. He might have to look in the mirror and say, ‘Well then, if Eakins isn’t the problem what is the problem? I’m the general manager and a lot of the players that are here are my guys that I brought in and some of them haven’t worked out very well lately.’

“So, I think what you’re going to see is Craig MacTavish – the real vote of confidence for his coach is that he’s going to go out and make a trade. And that’s the long and the short of it. And I think everybody, outside of Taylor Hall for the most part, is in play. And I mean everybody. I would suspect that Craig MacTavish feels a burning desire to go out and make some sort of significant move that is going to change the face of this team, either at centre, on defense, or in goal. One of those spots. Or maybe all three.”

On David Perron and who else might now be in play:

“David Perron, by the way, is fully in play. He’s – in my mind, if they get the right fit – he’s as good as gone. But I also think there’s so much more at play now and that if anything like what’s happened - this tipping point that’s happened over the last few days is. ‘Okay, you know what, if somebody wants to talk about Eberle, let’s talk about it. If somebody wants to talk about Yakupov, let’s talk about it. If somebody wants to talk about Schultz, let’s talk about it. Let’s talk about any and every player on this team.’ probably with the exception of Taylor Hall.”

On Perron and track package possibilities:

"You're not going to get a top-line centre for David Perron, but you might be able to get a centre for David Perron. Or you may be able to get a goaltender for David Perron. Or you may be able to get a defenceman for David Perron. You may be able to roll it out bigger. What would you get for Perron and Eberle? What would you get for Perron and Yakupov? What would you get for Perron and Schultz?

:So, as I said, I think everything is on the table here. And I think it's going to be fascinating. It's not easy to make a trade in the National Hockey League. It's especially not easy to make a trade in the National Hockey League when you're dealing from a position of weakness, like Craig MacTavish is right now, where every team in the league knows he's under the gun.

"So we'll see what happens. I mean, we've heard the same names and the same trade target teams over and over again. Philadelphia Flyers. Names like Braydon Coburn and Brayden Schenn. Go through the league, it's not difficult to look at the teams where there may or may not be a fit..."

On MacTavish and Eakins:

"I understand why Craig MacTavish doesn't want to fire Dallas Eakins. Because he really, deep down in his heart, doesn't believe Dallas Eakins is the reason the team is where it is right now. And if there's anything I know about MacTavish, I mean, again - if Daryl Katz, or the pressure became so great they came to him and said, 'You know what, just for no other reason than we've got to let out marketplace know that this is unacceptable - we've got to fire our coach.' I'm not sure Mac would do it. I get the feeling he might go down with the ship on that one, until such time that he's convinced that it is a coaching issue."

Source: TSN 1260/ Transcript: Nichols on Hockey

Nichols on Hockey

Nichols on Hockey

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