Ryan Rishaug

They want somebody that has, uh,

a depth of experience because it's been a couple of coaches in the cycle.

Now, a couple of coaches through the ringer have not had that, that experience.

So they're going, okay, short McDavid window.

You can't, you got to bring someone in that has some presence and personality, whether it's, whether it's prickly, whether it's whatever it is, bring in somebody that's got some presence and some personality and

um that can maybe resonate with a room that i think can be a little bit flat at times because they are so focused you know on on trying to win a stanley cup in october and that's where their heads are at so i think you need somebody that kind of understands you probably need somebody that understands players well enough to be able to squeeze a little more out of this group during the regular season right like for chris oblock he had a he had a core group whose head was in the

because of all the meaningful hockey flipped to regular season hockey.

And now, well, you got to really understand players and, and have, you know, and I just think that's where you, not that Chris doesn't, but you gotta, I think that's where you lean on experience.

You've been through something like this before, or you've, you were an assistant through something like this, or you were a head coach for something like this.

Like,

I think a highly experienced head coach to maybe try and squeeze some more out of a group that can get a little mundane isn't the worst idea.

Yeah, of course I did.

Listen, Gary's been in locker rooms for a long time.

You know, he understands team dynamics because he's been in locker rooms for a long time.

I'm not really here to crap on anybody else's work.

What I would say is that I believe if you were to dump truth serum into every single Edmonton Oilers player and say, how do you feel about Conor McDavid as captain of this team?

I do believe every single one of them would say I would put my head down and run through a brick wall for that guy.

I do believe that.

I do believe he is that well-respected.

I don't think Conor is the easiest sometimes.