“I don’t have any intention of being the general manager.” — Edmonton Oilers hockey operations CEO Jeff Jackson said on Thursday. He said he’’s ‘ll be the acting GM in the wake of news that Ken Holland will not be returning to the team, but it is not his permanent plan to serve in that role. Jackson said he has no timeline for a hire but said it’s a priority.
He noted that he and Ken Holland spoke a bunch of times this season about making sure we kept everything quiet, even though it was known Holland would be moving on. They both wanted no distractions for the players. He said, in the meantime, he has been formulating plans in my head and mapping things out while he hoped the team would go far in the playoffs, even if it put him behind schedule to make other arrangements. He said, “Here we are and I’m going to move forward over the next couple weeks and get the things done that need to get done.”
Related: Team Confirms Ken Holland Not Returning As Edmonton Oilers GM
Part of the issue is that Jackson can’t talk to a number of the candidates he would like to right now. Seemingly hinting that he’ll hire from the pool of executives currently serving roles with other teams, it sounds like the top candidates are working with other clubs as the NHL Draft and free agency take place this week.
“I guess I would be the acting GM, I would be the one overseeing everything. I don’t have any intention of being the general manager> I have a number of candidates I have started to reach out to. It’s a difficult time for everybody.” He added, “… we’re at the draft and people that I want to talk to her like integral parts of other organizations.”
He noted that he’ll have to be patient and he’s OK with that. He wants to get the right person and while it’s obviously a big priority, he noted, “I don’t want it to linger and I don’t know how long it’ll take it’ll sort of be subject to my ability to talk to people when they’re freed up.”
As for who Jackson has already spoken to or wants to speak to, that remains unclear. As for business he needs to take care of, the top of the list are 10 pending UFAs and Leon Draisaitl‘s next contract. When it came to Draisaitl, he noted, “I don’t feel the pressure of any date to do this.” He added, “We’ve got a year to work on it.”
Next: Maple Leafs News: Domi and Bertuzzi Likely to Test Free Agency
