Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland's contract expires after this season, and it's possible he won't return. But if he wants to stay, cutting ties would be baffling, says Adam Proteau.
Although the Edmonton Oilers have knotted their Western Conference final series against Dallas, whispers persist that GM Ken Holland is not long for the Oilers job once his contract expires this off-season.
Frankly, that’s a little bit baffling.
Regardless of whether Edmonton moves on to the Stanley Cup final, the Oilers have enjoyed more playoff wins this spring than at any point since the 2005-06 campaign. Isn’t that enough to keep Holland running things?
We get it – Oilers CEO of hockey operations, Jeff Jackson, has been in the team’s ultimate position of power for close to one year, and like any upper-tier hockey executive, he wants his own people to carry out his vision for success.
But in the five years Holland has been GM, he’s built the team into a Cup front-runner, and he hasn’t mortgaged the future in any notable way.
To wit: the Oilers have two of their next three first-round draft picks and two of their next three second-rounders, but they’ve been constructed to win now. No matter if they beat the Stars and move on to the Cup final, Edmonton will be an excellent team next season – and really, for as long as stars Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard remain part of the team.
Not Perfect, But Not Too Shabby, Either
If the Oilers quietly force Holland out, the question has to be asked – what could he have done differently?
Under his watch, Edmonton made the playoffs in four of five seasons. They’ve made it out of the first round in each of the past three seasons – and in two of them, they’ve made it to the conference final. Many teams would love to have that much success.
It’s true Holland and the Oilers have looked good because they were terrible enough for long enough to draft McDavid and Draisaitl, but you can’t take anything away from what Holland has done. He’s surrounded both superstars with capable, driven veterans, such as left winger Zach Hyman and defenseman Mattias Ekholm. He’s also brought in role players, including Adam Henrique and Corey Perry, at a very low cost.
Sure, he hasn’t been perfect – particularly regarding goaltenders – but he’s hardly the first GM to struggle to find the right netminder. And that’s not a good enough reason to push him out the door now.
What If Holland Does Part with the Oilers?
It will be a different story if Holland leaves of his own accord this summer and takes a major management or advisor position with another franchise – say, with the Columbus Blue Jackets, which are in the early stages of a management makeover with Don Waddell.
But Holland could be in the running for any number of NHL jobs. He’s universally respected among his peers, and at 68 years old, he’s still young enough by NHL standards. If a team out there wants his expertise and championship pedigree and is willing to give him the full reins of power, it would behoove Holland to depart from the Oilers and take on a new challenge.
The multi-time Cup winner has earned the right to pick his spot, but the idea of his unfinished business in Edmonton should concern Oilers fans. Replacing Holland just for the sake of change doesn’t sound like a winning formula to this writer.
Oilers fans are currently on a thrilling post-season ride, and that’s in large part because Holland has put together a roster that’s deep and driven. And of course, if Edmonton does get by Dallas and wins this year’s Cup, it would be very difficult to justify Holland’s departure unless he chooses to leave himself.
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