Dallas Eakins' firing was inevitable. No coach runs up the kind of record he did and keeps his job. It also does precisely nothing to address the disaster that has been the Edmonton Oilers roster this season.
On Monday, following weeks of speculation and another embarrassing loss in a stretch that has seen the Oilers drop 15 of 16 decisions, the team elected to part ways with its head coach:
It really comes down to the team’s record. In 2013-14, Eakins’ Oilers went 29-44-9, a worse run than they had managed a year prior under first-time head coach Ralph Krueger, who had been fired to make way for Eakins. They then went 7-19-5 to start 2014-15. Whatever the problems with the roster—and yes, they are myriad—it’s awfully hard to stick with a coach who is winning less than one game in three.
General manager Craig MacTavish admitted as much in a press conference broadcast on Sportsnet.
"He’s an excellent coach; I was happy with a lot of things," MacTavish said. "I had no real good reason to do this outside of performance."
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Article written by Jonathan Willis