Oilers, GM Ken Holland part ways after 5 seasons following their trip to the Stanley Cup Final
Ken Holland speaks at a press conference in Edmonton, Tuesday May 7, 2019. The Edmonton Oilers said Thursday, June 27, 2024, general manager Ken Holland will not have his contract renewed, calling it a mutual decision between the veteran executive and the NHL club. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers said Thursday general manager Ken Holland will not have his contract renewed, calling it a mutual decision between the veteran executive and the NHL club.
Holland spent the past five seasons as the Oilers’ GM and built a team that advanced to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Florida Panthers. His departure has been anticipated since Connor McDavid’s longtime agent, Jeff Jackson, took over as CEO of hockey operations last August.
“Over the past five seasons as general manager, Ken has not only built the Edmonton Oilers into one of the NHL’s best teams, but he has also established a deeply rooted foundation of success and a culture of winning that will continue well into the future,” Jackson said in a statement confirming Holland’s departure from the organization.
“Thanks in large part to Ken’s outstanding work, Edmonton has become a destination city for players around the National Hockey League.”
Holland, 68, spent 22 seasons as GM of the Detroit Red Wings, winning the Cup three times: in 1998, 2002 and 2008.
Building around McDavid and elite forward Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers finished the season looking like the potential champions many expected to see when Holland, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builder category in 2020, took over for interim GM Keith Gretzky on May 7, 2019.
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