Edmonton Oilers may not have a General Manager for draft and free agency
As of Monday night when the Oilers finish Game 7, their contract with Ken Holland as General Manager will expire, and he's not expected to be back next season.
Holland is now 68 years old and has no clear plans for next season, so it's believed that he plans to retire at the end of his contract. Oilers president Jeff Jackson has been rumoured to be interviewing candidates, but it doesn't seem like one will be named between Game 7 on Monday and the Draft on Wednesday. If they did, it would be an incredible turnaround.
Oilers connected to multiple candidates for next General Manager
According to Jeff Marek on a column of Rink Fries earlier this year, the leading candidate for the next Oilers GM seems to be Mark Hunter, with Brad Holland and Keith Gretzky being next up.
»I also wonder about [Hunter] and the Oilers if this is Ken Holland's last season running the team. Oilers CEO of Hockey Operations Jeff Jackson has always been a fan of Hunter as he always was of Kris Knoblauch and we all know how that played out.»
- Jeff Marek, Rink Fries Column
- Jeff Marek, Rink Fries Column
With the Oilers not having many draft picks to use this season, it's very possible that the team rolls with Jeff Jackson and lead scout Brad Holland to guide the team in the interim through the draft and free agency, but if the Oilers are looking to make a larger move or trade - perhaps Jack Campbell or Darnell Nurse - they may want a GM to guide the process.
Obviously the Oilers and their fans are more focused on the Stanley Cup Final right now, but the business of the NHL is still at full speed. The next week of the draft and free agency are arguably the most important time for roster building, so it will be interesting to watch how the Oilers keep this team together and try to make it even better.
| POLL | ||
Who do you think the next GM of the Oilers will be? | ||
| Ken Holland returns | 200 | 43.9 % |
| Brad Holland | 35 | 7.7 % |
| Keith Gretzky | 102 | 22.4 % |
| Other | 119 | 26.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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