Edmonton Oilers Reporter Drops Bombshell on Luke Richardson Finding New NHL Job

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Joshua Deeds
December 10, 2024 (7:43 PM)

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Luke Richardson's firing was four days ago and prompted longtime Edmonton Oilers reporter Jim Matheson to respond with a harsh critique of NHL front offices.

Luke Richardson and Jim Montgomery were two recent NHL coach firings that happened while they were in the third year of their contracts.

Suggesting a new trend, that tenure in the NHL is dead. Edmonton Oilers report thinks that GMs are too focused on immediate results than building winning teams.

Keep in mind, with Richardson's firing, there are only four coaches in the NHL with longer tenures. Jon Cooper has been with the Tampa Bay Lightning since 2016, Jared Bednar with the Colorado Avalanche since 2016, and Rod Brind'Amour with the Hurricanes since 2018.

After losing again in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Toronto Maple Leafs fired coach Sheldon Keefe, whom they hired on Nov. 20, 2019. At the time of his dismissal, Keefe was the fifth longest-tenured head coach in the NHL. Now that his clock will reset, here's a list of the longest-tenured coaches still employed in the League.

It's difficult to see where the motivation would be for newer coaches who have yet to have as long a leash, as someone like John Tortorella.

He's won one Stanley Cup in 2004 and has built his career off of that one win. Is the Philadelphia Flyers rebuild going well?

I don't think so.

Is Jim Matheson wrong?

While Matheson loves to make statements that are generally outdated and controversial to some NHL fans, this one seems fairly cogent.

Front offices across the league have given newer coaches less of a chance, than others like Scott Arniel, John Tortorella, Peter Laviolette, and others who have been consistent retreads.

It shows a lack of long-term planning, and instead of letting a coach grow with a team. However, not every front office is like the Tampa Bay Lightning, which has employed Jon Cooper since 2013.

It's paid off, as Cooper has given the organization two Stanley Cups for their efforts. Not to mention, despite an obvious lack of star talent, he keeps the Lightning in the hunt for a playoff spot yearly.

Matheson may be wrong on a number of topics regarding the sport of hockey, but this time he's spot on.

Richardson had a 57-118-15 record with the Chicago Blackhawks and will have to look elsewhere for a coaching gig in the NHL.