One of the worst-kept secrets in hockey is over, as it was officially confirmed on (June 27) that Ken Holland would not be returning as the general manager (GM) of the Edmonton Oilers in 2024-25. He was in the final year of a five-year contract signed in 2019, resulting in plenty of rumours swirling regarding his future in Edmonton.
This decision wasn’t a firing, but more so a mutual agreement to part ways. At 68, Holland sounded like he was contemplating retirement, which he certainly earned after a fantastic and lengthy tenure as both a player and GM at the NHL level.
Despite some detractors, Holland did a solid job in Edmonton. He inherited a 25th-placed team in 2019 and wound up leading them to the playoffs in all five seasons he was in charge. There were some playoff failures along the way, but this year showed just how close he has this team to winning it all. Given the news of his retirement, here’s a look at some of the best and worst moves he made during his time in Edmonton. We’ll kick it off with the bad so that this piece ends on a positive note like he deserves.
The Bad
Campbell Contract Was a Disaster
Following the 2021-22 season, it was painfully obvious that the Oilers needed an upgrade between the pipes. They had tried the following summer to sign Jacob Markstrom, but wound up losing out on that bid to the Calgary Flames, and instead ran it back with a duo of Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen.
That duo simply wasn’t able to get it done for the Oilers, particularly in the postseason, and Holland knew he had to act. He attempted to fix the issue by signing Jack Campbell to a five-year, $25 million deal. The move had plenty of detractors at the time it was announced, but not even Holland’s biggest haters could have imagined it going as poorly as it has.
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Campbell became a backup to then-rookie goaltender Stuart Skinner in his first year of the deal, and made just five appearances this season before being sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL). The Oilers will try and find a team willing to take on his contract, but should they fail to do so, a buyout will be coming.
Nurse Extension Hurts and Will Continue To
Holland made some big mistakes when it came to Darnell Nurse. He first chose to sign him to a two-year bridge deal,…
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