NHL teams
Pierre LeBrun, ESPN Senior Writer 9y

Todd McLellan, Peter Chiarelli ready for new chapter in Edmonton

There really wasn’t much of a history between Peter Chiarelli and Todd McLellan, but both men came prepared when they met in Prague during the world championships to discuss a possible future together with the Edmonton Oilers.

"Both of us had done some homework," McLellan told ESPN.com from Edmonton on Tuesday after he was unveiled as head coach of the Oilers. "[Bruins coach] Claude Julien and I go back all the way to 2000 at the world juniors and we’ve kept in touch ever since. Our coaching ladder, if you will, has been quite similar in many ways. When you can phone Claude and he has nothing but great things to say about Peter as an individual, plus other people I spoke to also spoke highly of him, that matters. When you talk to players that played for Claude and played during Peter's run in Boston, they all enjoyed their time there. I think that speaks volumes as well."

And from there, it just felt right between the former San Jose Sharks coach and the former Boston Bruins general manager. They begin their new hockey chapters together in Edmonton in what has the potential to be quite a ride.

It surprised some, to be sure, that the Oilers didn’t get into the Mike Babcock derby. While Chiarelli did speak to Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland about Babcock, he never asked permission to proceed further. But after Chiarelli spoke with McLellan in Prague, he just knew he had the guy he wanted and didn't look elsewhere.

McLellan had interest from as many as five other teams and, while he wouldn’t name them, other sources suggest the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils were among those who spoke with him.

But the fit with Chiarelli and the fresh direction the young Oilers are taking under CEO Bob Nicholson seemed just right for the longtime Sharks coach.

"Bob Nicholson, Kevin Lowe, Craig MacTavish, there’s a lot of good people in the organization that I think I will have a strong support system around our staff. I like that," said McLellan.

Well, it goes without saying that the Oilers drafting Connor McDavid with the first pick next month is a big part of this shifting future for the team, one that surely has to finally improve after a decade of mediocrity.

"The easiest day that we’ll have as an Oilers staff is today," said McLellan. "Tomorrow the work starts. There’s a lot of work that needs to take place here. But I do believe that the approach that the new management team is taking is one that I’m excited about. I think the collection of players that exists now and the addition of some coming into the future is exciting. But all of that is pieces right now. It has to come all together. We have to build and move forward and make sure the curve is going upwards, not flat or downwards."

It might turn out to be a handy thing that as coach of gold medal-winning Team Canada at the worlds, McLellan already has gotten to know Oilers stars Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle.

"Well, at that point they were Canadians, they weren’t Oilers," McLellan said. "They fit Team Canada very well, they were committed to winning and did things that star players have to do to win in that environment.

"If they can continue to buy into those things and spread it amongst their Oilers teammates, then we’re going in the right direction. Perhaps having them there and creating a relationship with them can give us a little bit of a head start."

But what you won’t get from McLellan are splashy, headline-making promises.

Sure, it’s an exciting time for everyone in Edmonton. But it’s still a process.

"We’re not talking about playoffs, we’re not talking about Stanley Cups, we’re talking more about foundation, more about identity," said McLellan. "More about the whole versus the parts. And that’s where we’re at. It’s exciting when it comes to that."

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