Ken Holland's best trade for the Edmonton Oilers isn't even close compared to everything else he's done.
Ken Holland's best trade for the Edmonton Oilers isn't even close compared to everything else he's done.
EDMONTON -- Ken Holland is in the final year of a five year contract with the Edmonton Oilers.
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Holland has had an up and down tenure with the Oilers - highlighted by several great regular seasons and making the playoffs for several seasons in a row.
When looking at his track record in regards to trades, signings and drafting, his area of strength is clear. Drafting hasn't necessarily gone his way for a long time, even dating back to his time with the Detroit Red Wings.
Holland has had some luck with signings - Zach Hyman being perhaps the best signing of his career. But it is his trade record that will stand out in the minds of Oilers fans the most.
Trading for Mattias Ekholm will go down as Holland's best trade for the Oilers organization - and I would argue - the best trade of his entire career.
Here are Ekholm's stats since joining the Oilers:
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Ekholm is producing at a 0.59 points per game rate, while also playing elite defensive hockey. He still makes mistakes here and there - but no player plays perfect hockey every single game.
The Chris Chelios deal that Holland made back in 1999 is a close second - in terms of the positive impact that the player made on the team after the trade.
Ekholm's full impact on the Oilers may not be truly felt until they go on a deep playoff run. But at this point in time it's not hard to see how much better Ekholm has made this team.
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