EDMONTON - You can forgive Todd Nelson if he feels a bit like he’s on the outside looking in these days.
Nelson still has a contract with the Edmonton Oilers as their coach — albeit with an interim tag after replacing Dallas Eakins early last December — but now Detroit’s Mike Babcock has popped into the picture in a big way. And, of course, Todd McLellan, coach of Canada’s team at the world championships, has been lurking for weeks.
Taylor Hall and his Edmonton teammates are solidly onside with Nelson; he made the Oilers relevant over the last four months, and got the team playing with much more purpose.