Ex-Oilers coach Dallas Eakins describes being a GM in Europe
It’s been nearly a decade since Dallas Eakins served as the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, but the fan base still remembers him well.
Eakins had a very difficult task of trying to turn around a lowly Oilers group that had received the first overall picks in 2010, 2011, and 2012.
Things didn’t work out as planned, as his system was one that the young Oilers roster couldn’t seem to adapt to. He wound up coaching just 113 games before being fired. He went on to spend some more time in the AHL before serving as the head coach of the Anaheim Ducks from 2019 to 2023. Now, he’s on a new venture.
Eakins was hired to be both the head coach and general manager (GM) of Mannheim in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) early last season. The coaching job is nothing new for Eakins, but the role of a GM certainly is. He recently joined Jay Rosehill and Nick Alberga of Leafs Nation and explained how it’s helped evolve his hockey mind.
“The one thing I really wanted to do was get some experience on the general manager side,” Eakins said. “It gives me the opportunity here to take a team that needs to be rebuilt a little bit culturally to get back to their championship ways.
“Having to build a team, dealing with agents, and looking down the road in recruiting. Getting the right young people signed, having a development program.”
Eakins also seemed open to a return to the NHL in the future, believing that this experience would prove beneficial, particularly on the management side. Making that potential change is becoming increasingly common, with the most recent example being Barry Trotz, who was hired to be the GM of the Nashville Predators late in the 2022-23 season.
“I think Barry Trotz is going to be one hell of a GM,” Eakins explained. “All you have to do is take the title, the title is general manager. Barry Trotz has been managing people, staff, for a very long time.”
Though the future remains unclear for Eakins, he seems to be relishing in this latest opportunity. Don’t be surprised to see him back on this side of the continent in some sort of role, whether it be coaching or management, in the years to come.
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