GM Ken Holland gets candid about early struggles of a collapsing 2019 Edmonton Oilers squad 

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Jun 06, 2024 07:43 GMT

Ken Holland opened up about the early struggles of the Edmonton Oilers when he took over as general manager of the club in 2019. Holland realized the challenges ahead and knew that building a competitive team doesn't happen overnight.

Despite finishing 25th and 23rd the previous two seasons before his arrival, Holland believed in the team's potential in his first season as GM.

He said (via Oilersnation):

"They’d finished 25th and 23rd the previous two seasons, but I knew that we had an engine, a group of people who could drive your team. I think I said at the press conference, I was hoping that year one, it’s hard to say you’re going to make the playoffs after finishing 25th."

Ken Holland aimed for progress and hoped to be in the playoffs mix in the first year. However, unexpected setbacks, such as losing key players like Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson, posed significant challenges.

Holland acknowledged the tough task of moving up the standings, emphasizing the difficulty of breaking into the top teams once finding themselves in the middle of the pack:

"I’ve been at this a long time. It’s hard to get into that area in the standings," Holland said. "It’s easier to go from 25th to 11th, 12th, or 13th than it is to go from 11th, 12th or 13th to the top six or eight teams. Those are the teams who are established. They’ve got a culture. They do it year after year."

Holland also highlighted the importance of building a strong team culture and expressed confidence in the core players like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and others. Despite the setbacks, Holland remained focused on building a competitive team around the talented nucleus of players:

"That’s what we’re all trying to build. But certainly, I knew that with Connor [McDavid], with Leon [Draisatl], with 'Nuge' [Ryan Nugent-Hopkins], with [Darnell] Nurse, with [Oscar] Klefbom, with [Adam] Larsson, I felt that this team had a nucleus of players. We obviously had to build around it.

"I went out and signed Cody Ceci, and then acquired Duncan Keith. I wanted the veteran leadership on the backend to try and keep your team going in the right direction while trying to develop Evan Bouchard, Vincent Desharnais, Philip Kemp and Ethan Bear," Holland added.

After five seasons, the Edmonton Oilers and players will be making their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals under Ken Holland.

Edmonton Oilers CEO provides update on Ken Holland's situation

Ken Holland's contract with the Oilers is set to expire on June 30. Jeff Jackson, the Oilers CEO, told The Athletic that the organization's complete attention is currently directed towards the finals, making it their sole objective for now.

When inquired about offseason plans, Jackson said:

"We're not dealing with any of that until we're done the playoffs."

The Edmonton Oilers make their return to the Stanley Cup Finals after an 18-year absence. The Oilers will play Game 1 on the road against the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday.