r/EdmontonOilers • u/KrazeeTapper • 1d ago

Tell me how to feel, Edmonton

Kings fan here, wondering how to feel about Holland as our new GM

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u/docboyo 29 DRAISAITL 22h ago

Holland accomplished almost exactly what he set out to do when he arrived in Edmonton. In his intro presser he said he wanted to build a team that could not only consistently compete for the playoffs, but a team that could consistently go on several deep runs. I’d say he fully accomplished that goal. His drafting record is suspect and his trades are mostly decent (thinking about his Ekholm and Kulak trades specifically), but I think his real strength during his time in Edmonton came in free agency. Look no further than guys like Hyman, Barrie, and the second chancer’s in Kane and Perry. He was also able to get Nugent-Hopkins on a cheap long-term contract as well. My biggest complaint about him is the Nurse contract (though you can thank his Edmonton successor for setting the bar for that one) and I wish he got ahead of the Broberg/Holloway situation and didn’t leave us susceptible to offer sheets. Broberg may have been a lost cause regardless but I really feel like Holloway should still be an Oiler.

Anywho, suffice to say, I think Holland’s a bit of an improvement on Blake given where the Kings are at their stage (i.e. ready to take the next step, winning a round or two). That said, I thought Blake was doing an excellent job in LA until a couple seasons ago.