CEO of Hockey Operations Jeff Jackson has released a statement regarding President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Ken Holland
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I guess we'll see who takes the reigns soon enough.
I wish the guy all the best but its time to move on.
In terms of Ken's grade (Cult of Hockey stuff but hopefully not as biased as Staples) I would rate him as somewhere around a B or B-. Not great but a lot better than some of the guys who have sat in that chair in the last 20 years.
He did some good things for the organization. Yes, he was gifted two of the best players in the World but before he got here that wasn't working too well. 3 appearances in the final 8 in the last 3 seasons has to count for something.
His Kane and Hyman deals will always rate (in my mind) as good. Obviously the Ekholm trade was solid as well. Brown (free agent) and Henrique trade) turned out alright as well even though I (and many others) were critical of the deals upon early inspection.
His cap management and trading abilities left something to be desired (on other deals, every poster knows the details) but really, when was the last time that the Oiler organization "stole" someone in a trade? It wasn't too often. The Viking might be the closest to a steal in a long time.
It was common place for Oiler GMs to overpay but then again when you don't play in the Sun Belt then perhaps some of that is to be expected.
I hope a younger guy will be a tougher negotiator and more "arms length" towards the players. Like all good bosses-- friendly towards you but not your buddy. I think that is something that was always missing here and ultimately hurt the club.