Edmonton Oilers’ general manager Ken Holland spoke with the media on Tuesday and discussed a number of topics. Among them, he confirmed that he’s reached out to Evander Kane’s agent, that the Oilers are not likely to fire their current head coach and that the team will not be chasing a rental this year because the solution to the Oilers’ problems needs to be solved internally.
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As the media first tried to dance around asking directly about Kane, Holland was asked if he believed in reclamation projects. He said he does and that everyone deserves a second chance. He didn’t confirm that the Oilers were going to be going hard after Evander Kane, but when eventually asked directly about it, he did say that he’s reached out to Dan Milstein, Kane’s agent.
The two have a history in Detroit because Milstein repped Pavel Datsyuk and Holland said it was his job as the manager to explore every option. He didn’t tip his hand one way or the other about whether or not Kane was a viable option for Edmonton, but it sounds like if a player is going to be added this season, Kane is the guy; perhaps only because it would cost the Oilers no assets to acquire him.
That led to a discussion about rentals and trading for someone that could help the Oilers make a run. Holland said he wouldn’t do that. He asked, “Why would I trade a top prospect or a top pick for a rental who will only help short term?” He did acknowledge that his stars were getting older when he said, “I understand Connor is 25 and Leon is 26” but also added that he’d prefer to trade for someone who will be here longer. Holland didn’t want a “short-term fix” that would require he meet with the media again during the offseason to talk about where the depth scoring was going to come from because a rental decided to leave in free agency.
Holland Believes In This Team
Saying he thinks the Oilers will start winning, he noted the team has been competitive and doesn’t think they’ve quit on their coach. He’s not about the fire Dave Tippett as the organization can’t keep “cycling through coaches” and he thinks the group has it in them to win again.
Saying it’s hard to know just what this team is based on their vastly different records over stretches this season, he needs this group back and healthy, plus he expects growth and more scoring from players like Ryan McLeod, Kailer Yamamoto and others.
Later on, maybe Holland will reassess. For now, this is his team, this is his coach and, beyond potentially adding Evander Kane, there are no real changes coming.
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