Holland, who had been with the team since 2019 and whose contract expires on Sunday, is now free to talk to other teamsDave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images
Oilers GM Ken Holland has told the club that he "will not return to the team next season in any capacity," according to TSN's Darren Dreger. Holland, who had been with the team since 2019 and whose contract expires on Sunday, is now free to talk to other teams, but he "has not yet done so and is expected to take some time before deciding what his next move will be" (
X, 6/27). SPORTSNET.ca's Elliotte Friedman cited sources as saying that several teams "are expected to ask him about roles he’d consider for next season.” The Oilers are now without a GM and it is “possible the organization goes without one in the short-term.” The team's prolonged Stanley Cup playoff run “forced them to consider this outcome” (
SPORTSNET.ca, 6/27).
SIGNS WERE THERE: In Edmonton, Jim Matheson noted there were "no outward signs” that either Oilers owner Daryl Katz or CEO Jeff Jackson wanted Holland to return. There was no contract extension, even for one year as a “good faith gesture,” when Jackson was brought in last summer. This could be Holland’s decision "to look for something else.” If that is not the case, the Oilers have “left a guy with three Cup rings as a GM, and one very close call, hanging.” Meanwhile, free agency begins next Monday, and there are questions about "who is doing the negotiating" with agents of Oilers players, like RW Leon Draisaitl, whose contracts run out (
EDMONTON JOURNAL, 6/25).
