Edmonton Oilers, Ken Holland agree to five-year contract extension
By Cam Lewis
3 months agoThe Edmonton Oilers won’t be searching for a new general manager any time soon.
The team announced on their social media channels on Monday morning that Ken Holland has signed a five-year contract extension that’ll keep him in his role through the 2028-29 season.
The Oilers hired Holland in May of 2019 after back-to-back seasons out of the playoffs. They’ve made it to the playoffs in each of Holland’s four seasons with the club and they’ll make it again this year thanks in part to a franchise record 16-game winning streak.
Holland told the media after his contract extension was announced that he has “unfinished business” in Edmonton and that fans should expect a “big splash” at the trade deadline eventually.
“I came to Edmonton with the goal of building a Stanley Cup Champion with the Oilers,” Holland said. “We haven’t quite reached that point yet but signing this contract will give us a few more kicks at the can. Now there should be enough time to invest in some green bananas.”
Jeff Jackson, the Oilers’ CEO of Hockey Operations and Alternate Governor, noted that chatting with Holland about his time with the Detroit Red Wings is what ultimately led to this new contract.
“We had some really productive meetings with the rest of the front office and the pro scouting staff throughout the season,” Jackson said. “We would be going over whether to add a goalie, to find another right-shot defender, and the conversation would just keep coming back to Detroit.”“Three Stanley Cups, four Presidents’ Trophies, 10 division championships, the list goes on and on. When you hear him talk about it, it’s really quite something.”
Holland will have some important work ahead of him, as Leon Draisaitl’s contract is set to expire following the 2024-25 season and captain Connor McDavid will be eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career after the 2025-26 season.
“I can’t tell you what’s going to happen,” Holland said. “What I can tell you, I’ve got a lot of irons in the fire, lots of bananas ready to ripen, as well. Back in Detroit, we’d always have the left foot going in front of the right foot, and then the left foot again, and then right foot. That was the process, and we’ll see what happens next.”
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