Jamie Nye: Imagine, it wasn’t Todd McLellan’s fault

The Edmonton Oilers blamed the coach. Then they blamed the General Manager.

When do they blame the players?

Ken Hitchcock tried to do it on the weekend when he decried that the coaches can’t want it more than the players do.

Hitchcock’s comments were blunt and honest and refreshing until he tried to walk them back two days later, saying he meant that the coaches can’t want the players to play a certain way more than the players do.

You see it’s the players not buying into the coach. That’s the problem, not the players’ effort. Sure, even if that is the case, it’s a problem.

The New York Islanders, who lost their #1 star in John Tavares, are buying into the system laid out by Barry Trotz, and guess what: They’re winning.

And if the players aren’t buying in, it’s because the leaders aren’t buying in.

So it doesn’t really matter who the coach is. Whether it’s Ken Hitchcock, Todd McLellan or Scotty Bowman.

The players need to buy in, and I wonder if that includes Connor McDavid?