hockeyfanland.com

  Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun suggests Brent Sutter's performance as bench boss for Team Canada at the upcoming IIHF hockey world championship could serve as an audition for a potential vacancy with the Edmonton Oilers. The guy who selected Sutter for the job, Canada's GM Kevin Lowe, also happens to be the President of Hockey Operations for the Oilers.  

"... Of the 17 players already selected for Canada, there are three Oilers who may represent the cornerstones of the franchise: Jordan Eberle, Devan Dubnyk and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the latter who played for Sutter's Red Deer Rebels two seasons ago ... How Sutter uses and meshes with them may ultimately help determine if he's a good fit to replace current Oilers coach Tom Renney, who is twisting in the wind as the team debates his future ..."

I expected Renney to be given one more year, but with Brent Sutter available now, I would welcome the switch right now.  if Sutter does well in the above scenario I'm extra sold.  I've never been a huge fan of Tom Renney's. I realize the Edmonton Oilers needed to go through a rebuild to be successful. However, under the current system, the playoffs still seem to be a distant dream. I don't think the skilled players have received enough ice. 

I'd be interested in how the young Oilers would play under a new system like Brent Sutter's, who has never been shy to play star players for big minutes.  Brent Sutter future coach of Edmonton Oilers