No contract extension for Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland

 

The Edmonton Oilers and Ken Holland are splitting up.

The CEO of hockey operations for the Oilers, Jeff Jackson, expressed gratitude to Holland for his tenure as the team's general manager in a statement released on Thursday.

"The Edmonton Oilers and Ken Holland have mutually agreed that his contract will not be extended beyond the end of its current term," Jackson stated.

 "Over the past five seasons as general manager, Ken has not only built the Edmonton Oilers into one of the NHL's best teams, he has also established a deeply rooted foundation of success and a culture of winning that will continue well into the future."

"We wish Ken, Cindi and his entire family the very best and thank him for his leadership and contributions to the Oilers organization and the City of Edmonton."

Since May 2019, Holland, 68, has served as general manager and president of hockey operations for Edmonton.

Holland was general manager of the Detroit Red Wings for 22 seasons prior to moving to Edmonton.


Under Holland, Detroit won Stanley Cups in 1998, 2002, and 2008.

The Florida Panthers defeated the Oilers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final on Monday.

 After interim general manager Keith Gretzky was replaced by Holland on May 7, 2019, the Oilers finished the season with a roster that many believed could win the Stanley Cup. Holland was built around superstar captain Connor McDavid and elite forward Leon Draisaitl.

However, Edmonton's ascent to the top was erratic, and Holland faced criticism for much of his tenure for assembling a top-heavy squad and failing to find a solution to the team's goalie problems.


The pandemic-shortened 2019–20 season saw the Oilers lose in the playoff qualifying round. The Winnipeg Jets swept them in the 2020–21 postseason.

After Colorado swept Edmonton in the 2022 Western Conference final, it seemed to be turning the corner. However, the following season, Edmonton regressed, falling to eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas in the second round.

The Oilers' 3-9-1 start to the season rattled confidence in Holland's ability to construct a winning team in Edmonton early this season.


But the Oilers became one of the greatest teams in the league after Kris Knoblauch took over as head coach in lieu of Jay Woodcroft, highlighted by a 16-game winning streak that came just one win short of an NHL record.


And by the time the Oilers headed into Game 7 of this year's Cup final, the team was getting solid goaltending from Stuart Skinner and contributions throughout the lineup, addressing two of the biggest criticisms levied against Holland.

Now the Oilers have a major hockey operations role to fill as they head into the off-season looking for a way to make the final step toward winning their sixth Stanley Cup title, but first since 1990.

Jackson will speak with the media today at 11:30 a.m. MT.