from Frank Seravalli of TSN,

The situation in Edmonton had become so toxic, turning one of the most passionate fan bases in the NHL into an apathetic one, that the Oilers had little choice but to remove Chiarelli from the controls one month before the trade deadline with the team just three points out of a historically weak playoff chase.

The man tasked with eradicating the dysfunction in the Oilers’ front office only created more.

"There's something in the water here in Edmonton that we don't have right," Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson told reporters Wednesday, not mentioning that leftover brass from regimes past Craig MacTavish, Kevin Lowe and Scott Howson remain on the payroll.

Assistant GM Keith Gretzky, younger brother of Oilers vice chair Wayne Gretzky and Chiarelli's cohort from Boston, will assume part of Chiarelli’s duties on an interim basis until a permanent replacement is found.

There will be no shortage of interested candidates. The problem for whoever inherits Chiarelli’s chair is that there is no quick fix.

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