Is Kevin Lowe Still Running the Oilers?

[Walkingthroughforest]

This was inspired by a thread on another forum and the research done by another poster, but I think it merits some discussion.

It doesn’t make sense that in the 11 years since Lowe was “fired” from the Oilers, three GM's have come through the door and almost all the moves look and feel indistinguishable from the GM before them.

Some Bruins fans rip on Chai, but at a time he was an undisputed brilliant executive. But becoming....this? It doesn't make sense. After doing some research into how OEG is structured, I think there's a case to be made that Kevin Lowe and his regime are still running the Oilers and using Chiarelli as the fall guy.

The organizational structure of Oilers Entertainment Group goes as such

1) Daryl Katz - Owner and Governor
2) Bob Nicholson- CEO & Vice Chair
3) Peter Chiarelli- President of Hockey Ops and GM
4) Wayne Gretzky- Vice Chair
5) Kevin Lowe- Vice Chair, Alternate Governor
6) Craig MacTavish- Vice President of Hockey Ops

For a quick refersh, Lowe was the GM of the Oilers from 2000-2008. Lowe imploded the Oilers after their SCF run in 06 and instead of getting fired, was promoted to President of Hockey Ops. He hired Steve Tambellini who fired long time coach Craig MacTavish in 2009. MacTavish was rehired by Lowe in 2012 to be the Senior VP of Hockey Op's while Tambellini was still GM, and then fired Tambellini and appointed MacTavish as GM. The Lowe/MacTavish tandem performance caused such an outrage that MacT was canned from the seat in less than two years and Lowe was removed from Hockey Ops as Bob Nicholson was brought in to become CEO of the Oilers.

2015 rolls around and for a guy like Chiarelli, it sounds like a good gig to become both GM and President of Hockey Ops of the Oilers. That's a big role and only an exclusive club of executives have ever held both those titles simultaneously. This 100% should be a promotion from his role in Boston. Plus he's walking in on the ground floor of Connor McDavid.

Bob Nicholson is introduced as the direct report to Chairelli's role, as the CEO and Vice-Chair. This shouldn't be the same situation Chia faced in Boston with Neely. Neely and Chairelli clashed in the years after 2011, as Neely asserted his power as President of the Bruins. Nicholsons role with the Oilers is focused on actual business management and not team management. So in theory, Chairelli should be free to manage the team any way he pleases. Right?

But then there's other executives with the vague job title "Vice-Chair". The first, to no surprise, is Kevin Lowe. Lowe has the role of Vice-Chair and Alternate Governor, in theory that makes him the second most powerful position in the organization. He's good friends with Nicholson and Katz, he's the former GM and President of hockey Ops and his job description reads as "working closely with the CEO". So is he Chiarelli's boss as well? Or only the boss when the Chair is incapacitated?

Then there's also Gretzky, the other Vice-Chair. Wayne is also buddies with the Nicholson and Lowe, plus he's the greatest player whose ever lived. His job description says he works close with hockey operations and is a 'sounding board' for the GM. Is he also Chai's boss? Does Peter need to listen to what Gretzky says? What exactly is the structure here? Could one of the Vice-Chairs be his boss and not the other? They're always in the owners box anyway, so they might as well be the bosses.

Then there's Craig MacTavish. The VP of Hockey Ops. Who also happens to be the former GM (that's a little awkward). He is also really good buddies with all Vice-Chairs and the owner. Does Chairelli even want him here? Is he in control of his job description? Could he even fire him if he wanted to?

So Chiarelli has effectively gotten a promotion in name only, has more bosses than before, has a subordinate who he likely can't fire or even change the job description of, and the only person of his own it seems he was able to bring in was Keith Gretzky.

I honestly don't even blame Chiarelli after understanding this mess of an organization. Scotty Bowman would probably be out of a job in two years as well.

Click to read more...

 

[Ainec]

I don't think this is Lowe

more like Chiarelli, AGM, pro scouts, amateur scouts

 

[karnige]

na Lowe doesn't handle that part anymore. he's said it and Katz has said it. this is all chia.

 

[Soundwave]

Probably not, and quite frankly he's a better GM than Chiarelli was.

The Oilers were always competing for a playoff spot under Lowe, they decided to go the Pittsburgh tank route under Tambellini, Mac T and Chiarelli have both been horrendous.

Lowe never had nearly the type of talent Chiarelli was given on day 1. He had Pronger for one year and went to game 7 of the SC Finals that year.

 

[Walkingthroughforest]

na Lowe doesn't handle that part anymore. he's said it and Katz has said it. this is all chia.

I think it would be foolish to take that at face value, especially since it directly states that his job description is to work closely with Nicholson who Chairelli directly reports to. As well, his job description suspiciously is the only one out of the three Vice-Chair positions that omits working directly alongside Hockey Ops. I'm not sure I buy that for a second.

 

[Jumptheshark]

take a look at Lowe's trades vs CHia PEts and get back to me with this theory

 

[aufheben]

When was Chiarelli considered brilliant?

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

take a look at Lowe's trades vs CHia PEts and get back to me with this theory

They would be neat to see.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

No, Lowe's current role is not involved in the hockey operations

 

[ThePhoenixx]

No, Lowe's current role is not involved in the hockey operations

I have some land in Florida to sell you.

I'll send you a link.

 

[Top Shelf Wrister]

When was Chiarelli considered brilliant?

Coming from Ottawa to Boston he was regarded as a "capologist" which looking at his FA signings thru the years makes you wonder why in regards to both money and term he has handed out. Oh, and the always included NTC & NMC he loved sprinkling into contracts like confectionary sugar

 

[Straight Fire]

I read the title as "Is Kevin Lowe Still Ruining the Oilers"

 

[HockeyDBspecialist]

Blame the oilers scouts... the worst in the league

 

[ricky0034]

I read the title as "Is Kevin Lowe Still Ruining the Oilers"

I mean they're kinda synonyms here anyways

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

God I wish he was. Chiarelli is f***ing terrible.

And no, this isn't a defense of Kevin Lowe. Chiarelli has just been that bad.

 

[guzzy]

The oilers have the worst scouts in the league. The last decade has been beyond awful. Not one impact player outside of the first round.

I also think there is too much ego that has surrounded this team for 12 years now. Lowe, MacT, Katz, Chia. Awful. They promoted the year over year tank and karma is biting them back in the ass. Imagine how bad they'd be if they didn't win the McDavid lottery. Imagine the young egos of Hall and company still running this team. At least after leaving the organization, many of these players lose the ego and become great players (Dubnyk, Hall, Schultz).

The stink starts at the top but it definitely spreads like a fart in the car in that city.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Problem with the oilers is Daryl Katz...

 

[North Cole]

It's clearly a huge bureaucracy and we really have no idea how much influence Lowe has over Bobby who in turn has influence over Chiarelli.

The reason they have a bunch of Vice Chairs is because Katz wants to hang out with some of the Oilers from the Dynasty days (when he was growing up). He's a billionaire child and can't separate the personal from his business. Maybe he hasn't accepted the fact that owning a sports team isn't a hobby when you sell your actual business; you see this a lot with rich people who own racing teams (boats/cars/motorcycles). At first it's something they throw money at and do for fun. Once you sell your actual business and the Sports franchise becomes a full-time gig, you can't keep running it like a hobby because the seed money dries up (except in Canada where it apparently funds itself no matter how shit it is). If he ran the Oilers like his pharmacy chain, I'm sure the team would be in a much better spot. I'm skeptical about how much influence all of these Vice chairs have, I think it's just dead weight and fake job titles to keep his famous "friends" around, but who knows - they aren't public and aren't required to disclose anything to us.

On a side note - Katz was caught trying to pay an actress for sex, so he is clearly a giant piece of scum...I hope his son is legitimate (not like that... a legitimate owner of course) when the torch is passed to him.

 

[joestevens29]

Two local media people have already mentioned that PC doesn't have final say on everything. That even if we fired PC that Puljarvvi still would be with the big club as there are higher ups that really like him.

Have no idea who the hire ups are though. Nicholson doesn't do anything with player personnel. I suspect Gretzky and Lowe have too much say.

 

[joestevens29]

Problem with the oilers is Daryl Katz...

Pretty much. Even if PC gets fired, unless he comes and publicly shames the organization where are we going to be?

Hiring yet another yes man or ex-oiler that shouldn't be a gm isn't the answer. These guys apparently are already doing decisions by committee so it's quite scary to think that someone that is already here is going to be running the team.

Katz needs to cut ties with all the ex-oilers and be done with.

 

[Todd from Leduc]

Lowe is the alternate Governor, so he’s basically in charge when Katz isn’t there which is all the time as Katz lives in Vancouver/LA.

 

[member 157595]

I wouldn't call it "running". More like trying to walk heel-to-toe at a DUI stop and shitting on yourself.

 

[joestevens29]

take a look at Lowe's trades vs CHia PEts and get back to me with this theory

The guy who demanded Comrie pay his contract back? The guy who somehow found a way to trade for two busts and draft a bust when he traded Smyth? The guy that could've had Parise, but wanted Jacques and Pouilot instead?

The guy had one good year as a GM.

 

[Kranix]

Lowe the shadow GM

 

[Jacob]

It's obvious that there are too many idiots in that front office and their moronic ideas just reverberate off each other in a vacuum of stupidity.