It’s been a very interesting week in Oil Country. Following the trail of breadcrumbs that begins with winning the 2015 draft lottery, we can safely say that this should be a franchise altering period of time. It’s a period of renewed faith, expectations and excitement as the dominoes have begun to fall in Edmonton. On Friday afternoon, this bombshell was dropped:

Chiarelli Prez and GM.. wow. — Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) April 24, 2015

If you missed the press conference today, you can view it in it’s entirety below

What does this mean for the organization? First and foremost, the Old Boys Club is finished. Finally. It’s like sending an old horse off to the glue factory. It was years overdue and desperately needed and now it’s finally happened.

It also means that the organization is on a timer. The upcoming season will be the last in the aging Rexall Place. Will Daryl Katz be stoked about moving his Oilers into the brand new Rogers Centre if they’re still languishing at the bottom of the standings? Even the most ardent Oilers supporter would have to admit that it would take some of the shine off.

Oiler staff meeting/conference call at 9 am MT. Personnel changes – Peter Chiarelli overseeing all hockey ops amongst others – unveiled then — Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) April 24, 2015

Peter Chiarelli is no lame duck hockey mind and would not have accepted his position with Edmonton if it was anything less than a head position. Going forward, I see him in a Brendan Shanahan-like role where he speaks softly but carries a big stick. MacTavish and Lowe might be in the background as lackeys, but Chiarelli is the guy now, and I’m EXCITED. After spending the past 8 seasons as GM of the Boston Bruins, Chiarelli was let go this spring after missing the playoffs with a Bruins team that accumulated 96 points. He took the Bruins to a Stanley Cup victory in 2011 and to another finals appears in 2013, where they fell in 6 games to the Chicago Blackhawks. While certain transactions Chiarelli made were questionable, (Tyler Seguin, Johnny Boychuk) what isn’t questionable is that he brings a certain air of respectability and clout to the Oilers organization that has sorely been missing since the days of Glen Sather.

Can confirm other reports that Laforge has been let go. — Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) April 24, 2015

I don’t have a strong opinion of LaForge one way or another. However, he was instrumental in bringing the 2003 Heritage Classic to Edmonton so I have more fond memories of him than I do of Lowe. Hopefully Lowe will sort of just melt into the background at this point.

It’s going to be a wild ride in Edmonton for the 2015-16 season and I can’t wait to be a part of it. What can we expect next year? Who knows, but I’m willing to bet that the changes aren’t over and the on-ice product is definitely still a work in progress.

Something else to make you smile on this Friday afternoon…