The Bakersfield Condors have had a subpar record of 4-7 since November 2, but the bigger concern is the complete lack of offence. The Condors have only scored more than three goals twice in the last month.
Curlock reports that the Oilers should give Coach Colin Chaulk the next four games to improve the team, or they should make the uncomfortable decision to fire him.
The Condors coaching system under Chaulk's guidance since he was officially hired in 2020 has been under fire for mismanaging the development of several players.
For too many years, promising players like Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway were underplayed in the AHL level over veterans, which led to some tension in the organization about playing time.
This year, Chaulk has continued to favour veterans instead of younger offensive prospects. Fans are pointing out that their powerplay is running through AHL vet Seth Griffith instead of Matthew Savoie.
Younger offensive players like James Stefan and Matvey Petrov are buried in the lineup. Young defenceman Max Wanner is getting limited minutes on the third pair, despite being one of the organization's better prospects.
It's clear that Chaulk isn't prioritizing the development of Oilers prospects at the AHL level, and while that may be the case as a head coach trying to win games, the Oilers organization needs to prioritize the development of their young players. They need someone on board with management.
President Jeff Jackson and GM Stan Bowman are a fresh set of eyes that can make necessary changes if they wish, and it seems that if Chaulk doesn't change his patterns, he'll be gone relatively soon.
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