Survey results are below

The survey says, Jordan Eberle must walk the plank.

If one of the three $6-million so-called core players must be sacrificed for GM Peter Chiarelli to get the first-pairing defenceman the Edmonton Oilers so desperately require, let it be Eberle.

The survey says (73%) keep Taylor Hall.

The survey says (64%) keep Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

The survey says it must be Eberle (54%) “let him go.”

The annual You Be The Boss survey of Oilers fans has proved, over the years, to be as accurate a temperature taking of the fans as you’re going to find. This year 1,977 fans registered their opinions and there are only a few (see Auston Matthews) votes by the fans that this columnist would choose to disagree with.

You’d figure with a 29th-place hockey team equaling a record 10th consecutive season out of the playoffs, next to nobody would be receiving passing grades. But this year’s survey was significant when it came clarity in who to keep and who to move.

- Related:Oilers head coach Todd McLellan doesn't offer any promises in year-end press conference

Which is to say, hey, Nail Yakupov, don’t let the door hit you on the back of your hockey pants on the way out of town. The player who made it be known he wanted to be traded in an interview with a Russian reporter late in the season, drew a 76% “let him go” disapproval rating.

It will surprise next to nobody that the fans were 94% in favour of Andrew Ference getting a buyout and 92% in favour of an immediate exit for Nikita Nikitin. A significant 74% want to see Mark Fayne employed elsewhere.

The “let him go” list also included Luke Gazdic (73%), Anton Lander (73%) Adam Cracknell (70%), Adam Clendening (68%) and Lauri Korpikoski (63%).

But that was it.

Otherwise, the fans like this hockey club going forward.

Really like it. And that’s going to come as a shock to a lot of people outside of this market.

Combining the “keep him” and “give him a raise” numbers in all cases, consider some of the results.

- Related: Coach McLellan: Don't talk about 'rebuild or patience'



It’ll be no surprise to anybody who witnessed the reception the fans at the Farewell To Rexall Place, but Edmonton has to be the only bottom-feeding pro sports team in the world where the CEO (Bob Nicholson, 85%), general manager (Chiarelli, 94%) and coach (Todd McLellan, 94%) would have such a significant approval rating after such a shabby season.

Chiarelli, in his year-end press conference said only “a couple” of players were untouchable. The fans correctly identified them as Connor McDavid (98%) and Leon Draisaitl (97%) and tossed in starting goaltender Cam Talbot (97%).

Back-up goaltender Laurent Brossoit (81%) has the fans support despite failing to win his first NHL game in six career starts so far, but also convinced 80% of them he needs to go back to the AHL for one more year.

And while the focus is definitely going to be on finding a pair of top defencemen this off-season, the survey said the fans believe the Oilers have the defensive talent here to develop and become first-rate rearguards.

Again, combining the “keep him” and “give him a raise” components, they gave high marks to Darnell Nurse (96%), Oscar Klefbom (90%), Brandon Davidson (91%) and Jordan Osterle (76%).

The fans also clearly loved Chiarelli’s acquisitions of Pat Maroon and Zack Kassian.

Maroon, who lost a chance to play for the Anaheim Ducks in the Stanley Cup playoffs when Chiarelli acquired the winger to play on a line with Conner McDavid, made himself an immediate fan favourite with a 97% “keep him” count up there with Draisaitl and Talbot.

Kassian, the reclamation project Chiarelli obtained from the Montreal Canadiens after his mandatory rehab and suspension for substance abuse problems had been served, is a keeper at 85%.

Holdover Matt Hendricks, who captained the U.S.A. at last year’s world championships, scored 86%. Andrej Sekera scored 74%, Eric Gryba 72% and Iiro Parkarinen 71%.

The judgments in the proposition part of proceedings were interesting.

Should the Oilers keep or trade their top pick in the draft? The survey said 69% want to keep it. But if the Oilers win the No. 1 overall pick, should they pick Auston Matthews? Only 67% said yes?

Who should be the next Oilers captain? Sixty-five percent said McDavid and 15% Hall.

You get the idea. It’s all there for you, Peter Chiarelli. Follow the map and the Edmonton Oilers are out of the woods.

You Be The Boss:

Oilers You Be The Boss 2015-16

Survey:Oilers Reader Survey 2015-16