Former NHLer links Oilers GM Holland to the Blackhawks

With each passing day, it seems increasingly likely that Ken Holland’s time with the Edmonton Oilers has come to an end.

Holland was hired as the Oilers’ general manager in 2019, and his five-year deal is set to expire in less than a week. There had been talk throughout the 2023-24 season that both sides would be heading in different directions ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, and based on a recent report from former NHLer Scottie Upshall, that appears to be the case.

“Source telling me that Ken Holland could be on his way to the Chicago Blackhawks,” Upshall wrote on X. “Position to be determined. Could this be the beginning of building [a] new dynasty there in Chi town?!? They have the cap space and the draft picks! We will see how this plays out.”

Source telling me that Ken Holland could be on his way to the Chicago Blackhawks. Position to be determined. Could this be the beginning of building new dynasty there in Chi town?!? They have the cap space and the draft picks! We will see how this plays out…

— Scottie Upshall (@ScottieUpshall) June 26, 2024

This update from Upshall makes even more sense, given a report yesterday from TSN’s Darren Dreger that Holland isn’t expected to attend the NHL Draft at this Sphere in Las Vegas this coming weekend.

“I believe there’s a role for Ken Holland moving forward in Edmonton… IF he wants it,” Dreger wrote. “His situation will be clarified within a few days. As of right now indications are that he will not be at the Draft in Vegas.”

When Holland signed in Edmonton ahead of the 2019-20 season, his goal was to turn them into a Stanley Cup contender. After missing the playoffs in each of the prior two seasons, Holland led them to the playoffs all five years he was there, highlighted by a trip to the Western Conference Final in 2022 and a Stanley Cup final days ago in which the Oilers fell just one game short of winning it all.

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