Ken Holland makes his decision on retirement, according to insider

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Liam McCormick
September 25, 2024 (5:16 PM)

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The Edmonton Oilers let Ken Holland go from his role of General Manager this offseason when his contract expired, and now he may have a new role.

Many expected the 68 year old Holland to consider retirement when his time was up with the Oilers. However, according to a report today from TSN's Darren Dreger, Holland is looking for another opportunity in the NHL.

«Let me tell you this, he still has tons of energy and he still is motivated by the juice of the game, but it has to be the right fit. I look at hockey operations bosses in Canada like Jimmy Rutherford in Vancouver, what about Jeff Gorton of the Montreal Canadiens, I think Kenny Holland would be keenly interested in a job like that, maybe another GM opportunity.»

Reports surfaced last week that Ken Holland had made an appearance at Utah HC's Training Camp, and that's he could potentially have a role there. However, Dreger noted that Holland wouldn't be interested in joining a rebuilding team, which likely takes Utah out of the running for Holland. Dreger also said that Holland may be more likely to return in the role of President of Hockey Operations, but could be a GM again too.

Ken Holland has one of the best track records of a General Manager in hockey history, having won four Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings and building the Oilers into a power house team. At the same time, Oilers fans know well that Holland has made his fair share of mistakes which hurt the Oilers - the biggest ones being the contracts for Jack Campbell and Darnell Nurse.

Kenny Holland has been working the NHL for the last 40 years, and hockey is nothing if not an old boy's club. It's likely that another team gives Holland another chance, if a contender makes a GM change this year.