Earlier this offseason I wrote an article on how the Edmonton Oilers are now Ken Hollands team. If this team fails to succeed there is no more blaming Peter Chiarelli. If the Oilers don’t have success this season could this be the end of the reign for Ken Holland?
As a long-time Edmonton Oiler fan, I have seen many a failure in the last decade. There have been so many general managers and coaches that have been through this organization it’s hard to keep track. If this year’s Edmonton Oilers team fails to make the playoffs and past the first round Ken Holland could be another name in the discard pile.
Since Holland took over, the Edmonton Oilers have played 127 regular-season games. They have a record of 72 W-44L-11OTL. That is a winning percentage of 57.7%. During that time they have outscored their opponents 408-371. That is a total goal differential of 37 goals.
To put this in perspective the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Stanley Cup winners over these past seasons, have only won 7 more regular-season games than the Oilers. They have scored 18 more goals than the Oilers, but have given up 29 fewer goals. That is a goal differential of 84, that’s 47 more than the Oilers.
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The past few seasons there have been no issues in the Edmonton Oilers putting the puck in the opposition’s net. The issue has been keeping it out of theirs. The issue can be spread through both the goaltending and defense.
This year Ken Holland has made a large change to the team’s defensive lineup. Are the addition and subtractions made enough to drop the goals against this season? Ken Holland may have bet his job on it. Since he appears to be making no changes to his goaltending, he is solely relying on the changes he made to be the difference.
I believe the Edmonton Oilers need to become annual cup contenders by the 2024-25 season. This is the year Leon Draisaitl‘s contract is up for renewal. After playing on a team that hasn’t had much playoff success that many years is he going to want to stay here? If he leaves the odds of Connor McDavid staying are also slim.
This is why now more than ever I think the Oilers organization has given Holland a short leash. If they don’t see improvement this year, they may feel like they need to make a change.
This past offseason has been one of the most important in franchise history. If Ken Holland has nothing to show for it when the next offseason rolls around it may spell the end of his time with the Oilers.