Oilers' coach McLellan: 'Maybe we have to get rid of some' players
It's been a long first season behind the bench for Todd McLellan.
Following a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, the Edmonton Oilers head coach was fairly blunt about the performance of some of his players.
McLellan, asked about changing the commitment level of some players: "Maybe we have to get rid of some."
— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) February 24, 2016
"The spirit of the team isn't where it needs to be," he continued. "It's got to get better, or we've got to make huge, huge changes.
"There were some (players) who should be embarrassed when they leave here," he added, specifically mentioning defenseman Justin Schultz.
"Pretty disappointing night for him as an individual and it affected the team." - Oilers coach Todd Mclellan on minus 3 Justin Schultz
— Rob Tychkowski (@Sun_Tychkowski) February 24, 2016
The exasperation comes at the end of a day whereupon general manager Peter Chiarelli confirmed the Oilers are sellers heading into the NHL's trade deadline, calling out players who have underachieved.
With the loss, Edmonton sits at the bottom of the NHL standings, and will have a chance at the first overall pick for the fifth time in seven years.