Quinn Is the Guy That Will Teach The New Young Oilers

After another loss, the Oilers are becoming a multitude of emotions. Frustrated, angry, embarrassed, depressed, lost, hopeless... you name it. In fact, in his latest media scrums, it's not hard to tell that Pat Quinn shares these feelings, with one big difference.

While it's understandable that players are not sure where to turn, at all times, the coach must have a response. This is especially true for a young Oilers franchise that looks to get only younger moving forward through a massive rebuild.

Pat Quinn has a way of bringing attention to underachievement, but at the same time leaving clear indication that he's not given up hope. A team that's bound to make a number of mistakes as they mature needs this kind of leadership.

Take Dusin Penner for example. As can be backed up by the numbers, Penner's play has dropped off in the last 15 games. On fire at the start of the year, his statistics had people talking about Olympic consideration. Recently, he's been unlucky, non-physical, and lacking the same emotion that fans witnessed and demonstrated earlier and saw that when he wanted to, he could change a game.

Pat Quinn brought it up. However, unlike MacTavish in the past, it was approached in a way that left an opening for Dustin Penner to look at himself and say he could do better. When he did, Pat Quinn immediately followed it up by letting Penner know it was understood a number of factors could have contributed to the drop-off and that the Oilers were still behind him.

This approach and others like it that Pat Quinn has taken, while constantly holding nothing back and being open and honest with everyone about the teams play is the attitude a team like the Oilers will need in the next two to three years and likely a reason he's succeeded in coaching at the junior level.

With the rumors that Edmonton may be moving much of its verteran presence and leadership on the ice, more leadership will be required behind the bench to make up for it. If Souray and Moreau leave, but only faces like Eberle, Svennson, perhaps Taylor Hall and others are left to provide the spark, Quinn will need to be the voice that shows these rookies the ropes.

It seems as though, while no one in the Oilers franchise wanted to rebuild, they have the right bench boss moving forward during a rebuilding time. Let's hope we can say the same about management.