Oilers' Draisaitl Shuts Down 'Quitting on the Coach' Rumors

The Edmonton Oilers are struggling at the moment but one of their best players wants to make one thing loud and clear, the team isn't quitting on head coach Dave Tippett.

Edmonton lost 4-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night and now are 2-6-2 in their past 10 games, falling out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference. The German-born superstar spoke to the media following their latest loss to the Leafs and had this to say about the quitting on the coach narrative:

We're not quitting on anyone. We're not quitting on our coach, we're not quitting on ourselves as players, our team, our goalies, nobody. We're not quitting. There's still lots of season left, right?. But it's frustrating. Eventually, you have to find a way to turn it around.

General manager Ken Holland has never let a coach go mid-season so it would be a rare site to see Tippett relieved of his duties during the year. There's been a bunch of speculation brewing about a potential replacement of Mike Babcock as Holland and Babcock have kept in touch and are very close friends. At this point, while it's likely, it's not imminent.

The Oilers latest loss came without Tyson Barrie, Derek Ryan and Connor McDavid, so taking two points from the streaking Maple Leafs was certainly a tough task. The team needs to find more balance in their lineup and some consistent goaltending if they want to be contenders.

Oilers fans are growing impatient as year in and year out they are wasting away the talents of two of the best players in the NHL. Expect to see them acquire a new goaltender before bringing in a new coach and the move could be coming this week. The Oilers return to the ice on Monday against the Ottawa Senators so now seems like a perfect time to make some roster changes.