Fischler Report: Lucky Ken Holland in Edmonton – Almost

Ken Holland could be the ultimate lucky ducky of NHL GMs.

He's got the best forward in the world – the inestimable Connor 'Only An Occasional Minus' McDavid.

Plus, the best sidekick to the best forward in the world – Leon 'the Lion' Draisaitl.

And, finally, the best fugitive from Toronto, Zachary 'I'm Not Dr. Seuss But I Write Good Kids Books' Hyman.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot: Evander 'Just Look At Me Now' Kane. But we'll get to him later.

Right this minute, Holland's team has the best – give or take the overly-stacked-to-the-gills Leafs – chance to finally bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada.

The Oilers are better than last year's edition because McDavid can do everything except play defense and stop pucks. And if they're better than last season's club that reached the Western Conference final, who's to say they can't make it to the Cup final?

Not I, sir.

Let's face it, Holland has forged a phenomenal hockey club, provided that you discount defensemen and goaltenders.

Right now, everybody in Alberta – short of Calgary – is wondering just what kind of magic Captain Ken will do before the beyond-the-blue-horizon trade deadline arrives.

We know he can't get a goaltender because he's made Jack Campbell the richest mediocre puck-stopper this side of the Lesser Antilles.

What that means is that he's got to relieve all the guess workers of their endless guessing and haul in Jakob Chychrun.

Seriously, it's Holland's job to find a way to save Chychrun from another year in the Arizona desert – and please don't tell me it's impossible.

What's more, it would be a philanthropic gesture to the good, loyal Edmonton hockey fans. I mean, how much longer should they have to put up with the machinations of Evan Bouchard and colleagues on that pseudo-defense?

Holland, please-please, do yourself and McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman, insiders and your fans a favor – get it over with and get Chychrun.

As for Evander Kane, read on, dear friends of the Oilers, read on:

Sure Connor McDavid continues to make jaw-dropping plays and Larrupin' Leon keeps scoring, but the new "key" to Edmonton's ascent is Evander Kane. My educated Edmonton-watcher, Glenn Dreyfuss, explains why:

With points in 13 of their last 14 games, Edmonton is holding down the first wild card in the Western Conference. Among the reasons why is the left wing wearing No. 91 who scores, hits, and agitates.

That's Evander Kane, who's been described almost every way during his 15-season career except "shy and retiring." The talented, volatile Kane is an attention magnet. In the last 14 months alone, along with his bankruptcy trials, Kane's gone from a stint in the minors to scoring two hat tricks for Edmonton in last year's playoffs, to celebrating a new four-year contract, to a surprise recovery from a gruesome November injury.

Here's the current way to describe Kane: difference-maker. After a skate blade lacerated his wrist in November, Kane was predicted to be out for three to four months. But there he was, back on the ice 70 days later. His wrist must be okay – Evander is averaging seven shot attempts per game.

"(Kane) brings a lot of intangibles that the average fan might not see," captain McDavid told Sportsnet. "He's big and strong and plays physical — a hard game that does a lot for our group.” 

Added coach Jay Woodcroft: “He comes to the rink every day with juice." 

Detroit's Tyler Bertuzzi must agree; in a game against Edmonton, Bertuzzi felt compelled to deliver a cross-check to Kane's chin.

With Kane back in the fold and producing, scoring goals in three straight games against Chicago, Detroit and Philadelphia, it's the Oilers' opponents who have been taking it on the chin.

Boston-based Matt Keator ranks among the most respected player agents in the intensely competitive repping business. Not surprisingly, one of the most revered NHLers, Zdeno Chara, has been a Keator client since his Islanders days. Red-hot Adam Fox, Chris Kreider and Blake Wheeler number among Keator's current players under contract. In an emailed interview lightly edited for clarity, Keator addressed the following subjects:

Back then, players were not talking to agents until around their NHL draft years, and many waited beyond that. With the rise in NHL salaries, the intensity of player recruitment in all hockey countries has greatly increased. Higher salaries mean more commission for agents looking to make a living. Big corporate firms have increased their staff, and the recruiting of players has gotten younger and younger.

The biggest challenge is the day-to-day grind of managing players' and parents' expectations. So many are in a rush to be the first one to juniors, college and the NHL. The idea ultimately is not to be the first one of your age group to be in the NHL but to play the longest. This a journey, not a race. My longtime client, Zdeno Chara, is a good example of what it takes to get to the NHL and stay there for 20-plus years.

I have a small and respected firm with only two people operating in it. Less is more for us as we have deep personal relationships with the four to six players a year we add at the NHL draft. Conversely, big corporate firms have increased their staff, and the recruiting of players has gotten younger and younger. Big firms will show up at the NHL draft with 30 to 40 players hoping that a few will make it. The advent of social media in the last 10 to 15 years has provided parents and players with more information. It has heightened their anxiety about competing against their peers in their pursuit of their NHL dream. The entire landscape has changed in all areas – and not always for the better.

I first saw Adam play as a 15-year-old with the Long Island Gulls. What I saw back then in Adam as a hockey player is what you see today. He wasn't the fastest guy nor the biggest guy on the ice, but he was the smartest. He is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. He is so much fun to watch.

I have former NHLer Ian Moran. He's my director of development/player recruitment. He's a veteran of more than 600 career NHL games. Ian has a wealth of knowledge and contacts that help players maximize their potential on and off the ice.

The easiest ones are the ones secure in their jobs and know they have the support of their owners. Generally, the Hall of Fame players-turned GMs like Steve Yzerman, Joe Sakic and Ron Francis have the financial and career security that enables them to do their jobs fearlessly. Conversely, the hardest ones to deal with generally are the GMs who are under pressure and are operating day-to-day to survive. I've been fortunate to have strong relationships over the years with almost all the GMs and enjoy dealing with them.

In Sweden, they have a rule that agents cannot talk to players and their families until Jan. 1 of the year they turn 15. This is very young. But seeing that players in North America are hiring agents/advisors at an even younger age, I feel that the NHLPA needs this type of rule in place to help curb this issue. Many choose agents/advisors young as a status symbol and to say that they have representation. This is absolutely the wrong reason to rush this process. Hopefully, it will be addressed.

* Credit Kyle Dubas for doing his due diligence. He has fortified his Leafs better than ever, with the exception of in the goal.

* If the Rangers and Oilers should meet in the Cup final, last Friday's New York win in Edmonton tells me it will be Blueshirsts with comparative ease. It's the goaltending!

* Considering Spencer Knight's uninspiring season in Florida, it's surprising the Panthers are gifting him with a long-term extension.

* New Jersey boasts the NHL's best quiet captain. Nice goin' Nico Hischier for your 100th career goal Saturday night at Pittsburgh.

*Had Jacob Markstrom been playing the kind of goal for which he's being paid, his coach wouldn't be annoyed by critics in Calgary.

* Tonight's contest to watch: Islanders at Pittsburgh. Desperation is the name of their games, but mostly on the Isles.

*Quite frankly, Detroit's high command did not expect the Red Wings to be in the wild-card race, yet there they are a not-so-long shot to make it.

*Kudos to Bruins boss Cam Neely – other than his dominant team – for his No. 21 to be retired by Cam's Junior club, the Portland Winterhawks, on March 18.

* Cam played two seasons (1982 to 1984) in Portland and amassed 64 goals and 82 assists for 146 points in only 91 games and 29 points en route to Portland's first Memorial Cup.

* Other than Don (five Cups) Metz, my all-time, most underrated Maple Leaf is Dick Duff, who just turned 87.