Holland really messed up in two ways this past off season.
1) He failed to get a legit goalie but instead believed that a coming to 40 year old Mike Smith could put out a repeat performance from last year, despite his history of injuries. I agree that they should have traded him last summer when his value was pretty high.
2) Signing Darnell Nurse to pretty much an open book contract. He should have offered him much lower and if he rejects then trade him.
That Darnell Nurse contract is going to handicap this team for the next 6 years. He's just not that good, a low end #1 dman.
Then other blunders like re-signing Barrie, for what? To play on the bottom pair with sheltered minutes? Bringing in Keith seemed to have been a smart move though but I feel they could have gotten him cheaper. They overpaid for Hyman but they had no choice. I can see why they wanted him.
When I read posts like this it reminds that very few fanbases really understand much of what goes on beyond their immediate city and team.
Holland did try to secure the services of at least two other goaltenders we know of; Markstrom who ultimately went to Calgary and Kuemper who went to Colorado. In both cases Holland was outbid by the winning team. So he didn't really set out "believing" Mike Smith could put on a repeat performance. He obviously realized that was against the odds and he tried to get a better goalie. That he failed is the correct criticism to focus on. He tried, sure, but failed. Going back to Koskinen and Smith was clearly his plan C.
Holland signed Darnell Nurse to a long term lucrative contract. In a very simplistic view, fans who don't know anything about the Oilers could simply yell "Trade him! Let him walk!" without realizing there was literally no one - NO ONE - available in the organization that could take on his minutes. Klefbom is likely never to play hockey again. No one else in the system could play 24+ top pairing minutes a night. Nurse signed a bridge contract and gambled on himself. And he won. The team had no choice.
It is next to impossible to get a cost controlled top pairing defenseman entering his prime via trade. The Oilers certainly couldn't. So Holland, having allowed Chicago the cap room to overpay Seth Jones in a new long term contract thanks to the Keith trade set his own table. Again, that is a fair criticism. Just bellowing "he should have traded Nurse!" is foolish. The correct critique is that Holland screwed himself and the team had no other options but to pay Nurse.
Next, Tyson Barrie. Barrie was signed because Bouchard, as a rookie, wasn't certain to be ready for top RHD pairing minutes. Everyone hoped he would be but Barrie was signed as a relatively short contract to shelter Bouchard as he became comfortable with the role. He has had good games and some not so good games, just like a rookie defenseman usually has. Barrie at the time was coming off a season where he led all (that's right, ALL) defensemen in points. It was a good signing at the time.
Holland should absolutely had gotten Keith for cheaper. 100% correct. And he hosed himself with Nurses contract after Jones and Chicago set the market. Dumb move.
Hyman was a good signing. Expensive, long but still a good one.
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