Oilers GM Steve Tambellini didn't specify how many phases the rebuild in Edmonton has before it's complete, but he made it clear Thursday that they're entering the next one. First came the news that coach Tom Renney's contract wasn't going to be renewed. Then came Tambellini's news conference where he articulated what needs to happen next in Edmonton.
"We think we need to get to a different level of compete. A different level of competing for playoff spots," he said. "We've had some young people now that have been here a couple years, we have some veterans who have underachieved for whatever reason. … Expectations will increase. As they should."
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- Senior NHL writer for ESPN The Magazine
- Wrote for Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Wrote for The Sporting News
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Craig Custance
Craig Custance joined ESPN in September 2011 as an NHL reporter for ESPN the Magazine, ESPN Insider and ESPN.com. A graduate of Michigan State University, he lived for nearly a decade in Georgia working for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where he spent time covering the late Atlanta Thrashers. He was the only Thrashers beat writer to get the team to the playoffs.
From 2008-11 he was the national hockey writer for the Sporting News, writing regularly in print and online. A member of the PHWA, he's a proud voter for the major NHL awards and can occasionally defend his selections.
Like hockey, he left Atlanta to return north where he currently lives in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, with his wife Cassie and their three kids.
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