Former Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has been named President of Hockey Operations and General Manager for the Edmonton Oilers. 

The reports have been there for days, but this afternoon, the Edmonton Oilers made it official that the team would be moving on from the Kevin Lowe/Craig MacTavish era and hired former Boston GM Peter Chiarelli. Officially, Chiarelli is both President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, but the most pertinent note here is that he is in control of the roster moving forward (with Bob Nicholson having the final stamp of approval, it seems).  

This certainly feels like a move made a couple of years too late, but better late than never, as they say (not sure who, but they). With Edmonton winning the McDavid lottery, they have secured potentially the best talent to come along since Sidney Crosby. That's in addition to Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and a host of other talented forwards. Oscar Klefbom looked good for the Oilers down the stretch, and I suppose they're hoping Darnell Nurse may be ready next year. With McDavid, the Oilers now have a three year window with which they can pay a potential superstar next to nothing on an entry level contract to go with all that elite skill. That should be the initial timeframe for the Oilers to start succeeding as a franchise for the first time in nearly a decade.