The Edmonton Oilers have an interesting start to their offseason rumours involving their General Manager Ken Holland. The Oilers only wrapped up their season Monday night with a heartbreaking Game 7 Stanley Cup loss. But as they say, don’t let it get to your heart. Many are already saying the Oilers will be back again next year, so everyone from Ken Holland to Connor McDavid to the fanbase, need to keep that in mind.
I believe there’s a role for Ken Holland moving forward in Edmonton…IF he wants it. His situation will be clarified within a few days. As of right now indications are that he will not be at the Draft in Vegas.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 25, 2024
Ken Holland May Not Return as Edmonton Oilers General Manager
Would it really make sense for Ken Holland to move on at this point? Darren Dreger suggests that, at this point, Holland will not be around for the Edmonton Oilers at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. It is not hard to see how easily that could be construed as he is leaving. Does he have the energy to come back for another season in Edmonton? Or does Connor McDavid possibly have his replacement picked out, not to say it wouldn’t be a mutual decision. One cannot argue how effective the Head Coach Kris Knoblauch move was for the Oilers in 2023-24.
The more interesting discussion out of all of this, is what does it mean for the on-ice product in 2024-25. Stay or go, does it really add much value to the Oilers roster? Holland has done a great job of building the Oilers into a Stanley Cup contender. There are definitely some very difficult personnel decisions to make on the Oilers players. Corey Perry is possibly going to retire, so he is not a major topic of conversation. Furthermore, players like Ryan McLeod, Dylan Holloway, Connor Brown, and Mattias Janmark are examples of guy that really proved their worth for the Oilers. It is tough to not see them as core pieces of the club.
The Oilers Have a Ton of Free Agents
But you do what you got to do. And the fact the Edmonton Oilers have a lot of free agents could be a source of some rumours. A couple very interesting UFAs who clearly made the Oilers better are Vincent Desharnais and Adam Henrique. It is tough to say with no less than ten players who are currently UFAs for the Oilers how there wouldn’t be a lot of turnover. One advantage of playing so long and getting in so many games, is that it is a great opportunity for auditions.
Another player who really made the Oilers job difficult was Philip Broberg. Yesterday, Broberg turned 25 years old. He’s a first round pick of the Oilers from 2019, and has 13 career points in 81 regular season games. In contrast, and difficult to assess his value, he had three points in ten 2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoff games. Furthermore, he played all seven of the final games, and ranged between 14:37 and 18:24 minutes of ice time in those final series games. As an RFA, his contract is complicated. No wonder Holland might want a break.
Conversely, Holland built a winner. Those free agents all need decisions made on whether bring someone else in would be an improvement. At times, that can be a very challenging thing to juggle, especially at the Stanley Cup contention level. The Oilers have constantly had to juggle, but have done so with great success. Maybe a player like Evander Kane and his injury would have tipped the tide ever so slightly in Edmonton’s favour. It’s tough to know, but one thing is for certain, the Edmonton Oilers proved in 2024 why they are a potential NHL dynasty.
Main photo credit: Yannick Peterhans-USA TODAY Sports
