The Oilers yesterday announced that the team has agreed to terms on a new contract for GM Steve Tambellini. He has been with the team since '08 (Oilers). In Edmonton, John MacKinnon wrote while terms of the deal were not disclosed, "at least two years and probably three sounds reasonable, since he's searching for a head coach to replace the departed Tom Renney." Considering the Oilers have "missed the playoffs all four years on his watch, and six in a row overall, that's impressive organization patience, to say the least." Tambellini said that he "hopes to have a head coach in place by month's end, so he can help the club prepare for the onset of free agency on July 1" (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 6/7). CBSSPORTS.com's Adam Gretz noted in the four seasons Tambellini has been on the job "the team has finished (in order) 21st, 30th, 30th, and 29th" in the NHL standings. That is "not exactly a great run, though the Oilers have been going through a (rather lengthy) rebuilding phase." The Oilers "definitely have an impressive core of young talent in place." Whether or not Tambellini "is the person that can build around them and add the proper complementary pieces to help return the Oilers to the postseason remains to be seen" (CBSSPORTS.com, 6/6).
