Today Ken Holland was officially unveiled as the General Manager and President of Hockey Operations for the Edmonton Oilers. There was a full press conference with plenty to dissect so let's get into it.
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First off there were plenty of Twitter and social media remarks about the appearance of Daryl Katz who made a rare appearance in Edmonton. Mr. Katz was looking significantly different and looked much more sickly than the last public appearance he made over three years ago. It came out after the presser that Katz has been battling a life threatening sinus disease over the past few years. I wish Daryl a full recover and hope he and his family are able to get through this difficult time.
There is not much to say glean from Daryl Katz
Katz once again stressed that Holland will have full autonomy over all decisions on the team but also spoke that he and Nicholson would work closely together. The more Nicholson speaks the less I want his fingerprints this team, but Holland is a man who will not be bowled over by Nicholson. It will be a story to follow.
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Then Bob's Burgers spoke.
The process in which Holland was brought on as GM is still very suspect. Ken Holland was not even in the country over the past weeks while the interview process was occuring. Once again it sounds like once Nicholson realized Holland was available, he jumped on and had a large amount of money thrown at him, as opposed to going through an interview process to see if his vision would suit the Oilers. The fact that Holland was the only name that Nicholson ended up recommending to Katz speaks volumes.
It didn't take long for Bob Nicholson to sing the praises of Keith Gretzky. There is no official word on who Holland will have as an assistant GM but the way Nicholson spoke it seems like he will be pushing for Keith as his guy.
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Ken Holland spoke and went through the usual thank yous to all his past mentors and the like. Bob and Ken have known each other for years and it's impossible to not look at that relationship as a hindrance.
First meat that came out of the presser was when Holland stated that Ken Hitchcock would not return as the head coach. Holland stated his first priority would be to find a new coach and expected that to happen in the next few weeks. It makes complete sense that Holland wants a coach that can be with the team long term as opposed to on another one year deal.
On a personal preference I understand a new HC will want to bring in their own staff but I would prefer Trent Yawney and Manny Viveiros to both stay with the coaching staff. Yawney had an extremely positive effect on most of the defencemen this season while Viveiros was an asset I believe was underused through the last season. I still expect Viveiros to be the Oilers head coach in 5 years time.
Holland went on to state he expects more moves and changes in the organization as the weeks go on. Exactly who will leave will be stories fans will certainly be chomping at the bit for.
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Thus began the Q and A
- Holland wants the team to be a playoff contender in the 2019/2020 season. Woo.
- Holland noted the importance of building around the core and soon we will discover who he believes is part of that core. It's interesting that over the years RNH has been compared to Datsyuk as far as style of play goes. I hope Holland recognizes the player he has in the Nuge.
- Right away Holland will be heading down to Bakersfield to watch the prospects. Holland is a GM who does believe in player development and that is an area we should see Edmonton improve in under KH. Don't expect Bouchard or Benson to make the team unless they give the coach no choice.
- Right away Holland spoke about the need for another goaltender.... hmmmmm
- Spector went right to asking about Holland's winning ways in the 90's. Zzzzzzzz.
- Holland preached the importance of building through the draft. Holland is not a coach who will trade the 8th overall pick.
- I like that Holland spoke about making decisions with his people. For too long it felt like GM's like Chiarelli made decisions in a glass box. One area Holland will make this team better is having a stronger dialogue.
- No word on the future of Keith Gretzky.
- Bob Nicholson tried to defend that Chiarelli did more change to the organization than simply add Keith Gretzky.... he really didn't. Until real change happens I will remain adamant that Bob Nicholson is preventing certain people from being moved out of the organization.
- Bob Stauffer asked about analytics which was kinda cute. Holland stated the importance of speaking to pro analytics people to use to gain more information. The Oilers organization still needs to spend money and bring in a real analytics group.
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Overall it was a fairly as expected introduction to Ken Holland. I look forward to seeing what changes Holland makes to personnel over the next few weeks and what the coaching staff looks like. From there the most critical aspect will always be what he does with the on ice product.
Overall I question the way the Oilers organization came to this decision but eventually when you stumble in the dark long enough you can find the door. The Oilers now have a real GM in place and real decisions can start occuring.
We wait.