In what may be the least shocking news to come out of the Edmonton Oilers organization this season, reports are clear that general manager Ken Holland will not be returning to the franchise for the 2024–25 NHL season.
In the final year of his contract, there never appeared to be any serious discussions around having Holland signing any type of extension. This season was very much his “last dance.”
GM-less Oilers
After a lengthy playoff run that came up just short of Holland winning his fifth Stanley Cup, the team was clearly bracing for this reality for a while. With the short offseason already kicking into full gear, the team reportedly will be operating without a GM in the short term.
It’s not the end of the world, as Jeff Jackson appears to be calling all of the shots on the hockey side for now, but it does make the next few days fascinating. Rumours are saying that Holland will not be at the Oilers draft table, which make sense, but the Oilers themselves have very limited draft capital this year. The team may look to navigate the next while without a GM in charge, and then find a full-time person after the dust settles.
The team’s biggest pending questions pertain to their unrestricted free agents, whose negotiations may need to be handled by Jackson. The team most likely has enough data at their disposal not to require one person to run the show, but it will be interesting to see the outcome of several key players.
As for Holland, he is expected to explore his options in the near future. Whether or not he joins another team may be the bigger question, but for now his time with the Oilers looks to have wrapped up.
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