Holland leaves Oilers in better situation as Jackson takes over

EDMONTON — Over five seasons, 410 regular season games and 11 playoff rounds, Ken Holland’s Edmonton Oilers fell two goals short of the goal.

Two measly tucks, a 2-1 loss to Florida in Game 7, and now Holland rides off into some version of retirement, leaving CEO Jeff Jackson’s Oilers light years ahead of where they were when Holland came to town five seasons ago.

We’re not saying that the Oilers are a sure thing to win the Stanley Cup next season, or that nobody else is close to being as strong a contender. But no NHL management team heads to the draft and into free agency with a better situation than Jackson has inherited.

Equal, maybe. Not better.

Holland joined the team for the 2019-20 season. The Oilers had missed the playoffs in 12 of the previous 13 seasons, but would make the post-season in all five of Holland’s seasons as GM.

After his first season, stud defenceman Oscar Klefbom was forced into retirement due to a shoulder injury. After the next season, 2020-21, Adam Larsson suddenly left as an unrestricted free agent, the sudden death of his father while visiting Edmonton the driving force in Larsson seeking a new environment in Seattle.

Yes, there were contract mistakes, like paying Darnell Nurse too much, and signing Jack Campbell. However, acquiring Zach Hyman at an AAV of just $5.5 million is pure larceny, considering that the 54-goal man Hyman has averaged 39 goals and 71 points per season in his three years with the Oilers.

The trade for Mattias Ekholm was Holland’s finest swap. History shows that he not only acquired a genuine No. 2 defenceman in the deal, but Ekholm’s presence has helped develop Evan Bouchard into the first true No. 1 defenceman that the Oilers have had in years.

Now, however, it’s Jackson’s team. He admitted in a Zoom call with media on Thursday that, in the absence of the soon-to-be-hired new GM, he’ll be helming the draft and free agency.

“We have our own unrestricted free agents to sign. We've got the draft. We've got free agency. I have to find a new general manager,” said Jackson, describing his to-do list.

Here are the highlights of Jackson’s Zoom call with reporters:

Why doesn’t he have a new GM in place already?

“We knew that we were going to get handcuffed if we went far in the playoffs because you can't be having discussions about other general managers and asking for permission from other teams (to speak with people) while we're playing. Because in our business, everything makes its way into the public realm.

“We knew if we had success that we would be pushed to the end here,” he said. “Here we are.”

What about Jackson running the ship in the interim without a GM?

“The one thing about this year as I was not a CEO of a team who wasn't involved. I was integrated and embedded all year with Ken and the staff, so I have a very good understanding of the skill sets, the personalities, and what people do well. We have a very capable group.

“I’m confident we’ll be able to accomplish what we need to in the short term.”

Will Jackson become the full-time GM?

“I don't have any intention of being the general manager. I have a number of candidates that I have started to reach out to.”

Did Holland want to stay on?

“I think it was just sort of understood that (leaving) is what he wanted. He made the comment to me, ‘You probably want to have your own guy.’ And, ‘It's probably time.’”

Will the Oilers be active in the trade and UFA market?

“We're not going to be super aggressive and start making deals all over the place. We obviously have a very good group. We made it where we made it.
“We’d like to bring back the team. We might like to tinker with it here and there.”

Will he buy out Jack Campbell?

“At this point, we're not planning that. We're considering it.”

On keeping the band together, versus getting that much older

“We're in win-now mode still. That's not going to change,” Jackson said. “Yes, we want to continue to integrate younger guys in the lineup and we'll look for ways to try to do that. But I'm not concerned at this point where we are.”

On Draisaitl negotiations

“It's critically important that the general manager is in place before we get into the meat of that discussion. Because I'm sure Leon and his representatives they're going to want to know what the vision is. Who the GM is?”

Is he comfortable letting Draisaitl play out next season, and risk him walking away for nothing?

“Leon Draisaitl is a Top 5 player in this league, and he's been here for a long time. Ten years. But I don't feel the pressure of any date to do this. He's got another year on his contract. He likes playing in Edmonton. He likes the coaches.

“We need to sit down and talk about not only money, but philosophically where the team is going to go. What we're trying to do.
“If we don’t have something done by July 15th, we’ll keep working on it. I don’t think (waiting) is putting ourselves in peril.”

On linking Draisaitl's contract with the upcoming Connor McDavid extension

“These guys, they’re very close friends. They’re confidantes of each other. They share lots. I was with Connor for years, as his agent. I know the deep relationship these guys have.
“There's probably going to be a point where we sit down with both of them and chat. Connor is not going to be involved in a negotiation involving Leon, but philosophically — when we get our new general manager — I'm sure we're going to meet and talk about things and not do it in a vacuum.
“I’m not sure when that is. Connor has a wedding coming up here in a month, and he’s got to decompress a bit. Same with Leon.”