Though Ken Hitchcock came out of retirement to take a gig the Edmonton native said he couldn’t pass up, that doesn’t mean his relentless coaching style changed at all.
Always known as a hard taskmaster who’s unafraid to use negative reinforcement here and there, Hitchcock’s style appears to be wearing thin with his young Edmonton Oilers squad, and it could cost him his dream job.
“He’s certainly made a lot of noise in terms of the way he’s challenged his players,” said Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos of Hitchcock during the Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada. “I think it’s been noted within the organization and my understanding is they’ve addressed it and they’d like him to be a lot more positive, not only publicly but behind closed doors in the dressing room if he’s to remain behind the bench the next 24 games.
“If not, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see a guy like Glen Guletzan in the rest of the season.”
In other Oilers news, Kypreos also reports that while the Oilers are probably willing to trade the struggling Jesse Puljujarvi, he’s performed so poorly that doing so might now make no sense for Edmonton.
“Lots of talk about Puljujarvi including the fact that they might be willing to trade him,” Kypreos said. “I think that’s highly unlikely. There’s no question right now that his value as a player that went fourth overall in 2016 is at an all-time low.
“I think we’re more opt to see him down in Bakersfield. … The feeling is at the young age of 20 years old to get him in a positive environment, and that seems to be now the American Hockey League to help get his progress restarted. …
“They won’t give him away though, the value isn’t there.”
With that said, as Elliotte Friedman reports, it’s likely that even if the Oilers don’t want to move him, Puljujarvi might want a change in scenery.
“I think one thing about that is I think the player might want to go,” said Friedman. “So Edmonton has a bridge they’ll have to build.”
Puljujarvi has tallied just nine points in 46 games played this season, including two in his last 10 contests (a pair of assists Jan. 19 against Calgary).
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