I'm really interested to see how that unfolds. I still think Chia is a fantastic GM. What happened the last year with Boychuk was just kind of a snowball effect from him going all-in for 2013/14 (don't really blame him for that), and I still don't disagree with trading Seguin, even though the return leaves a lot to desire.
He has made so many brilliant moves though. He never seems to overpay for free agents (the bad Bruins contracts really aren't that bad), and he's pulled off some incredibly savvy trades (Seidenberg, Horton, Kelly, Peverley, etc.). One thing that frustrated me was the NTCs he handed out though. Like, it seemed like everyone got one. Didn't matter for a while because he was so loyal towards the core but still... if Kelly didn't have a NTC, Boychuk is still a Bruin. His drafting record has also been subpar, although the last couple drafts look more promising.
The interesting thing though is that the Oilers roster is so different than what he built in Boston. It was so much about a team mentality with no big ego stars whatsoever. Depth over star power, defense over offense, etc. I'm interested to see how he adapts to this completely different roster.
I know he'll also REALLY push for Julien if/when he gets fired, and the way Julien coaches would be such a shock to that team that they wouldn't know what hit them. To some degree I think Edmonton needs that defensive focus and structure, but Julien pushes that unlike anyone I've ever seen. I think it would be too much and would curb someone like McDavid's potential. Not that I think Julien to Edmonton will happen, but I know Chia is going to put in a word about that.
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