Brad Holland leaves Oilers to end the Holland connection in Edmonton

Not so long ago, we were making the case for Brad Holland to be the next general manager for the Edmonton Oilers. Not that we necessarily believed he was actually going to take over from his dad in the position, but if nothing else, he was at least a consideration.

Now though, the assistant general manager won't be holding any position in Edmonton moving forward. As confirmed on social media, the Oilers and Holland have mutually agreed to part ways.

The decision was announced on Tuesday by CEO and President of Hockey Operations, Jeff Jackson. As per an official team release, he said: "We thank Brad for his work during his time with the organization and we wish him well in his future endeavours."

Allowing Holland to pursue a job elsewhere

The Oilers advised the decision enables Holland to pursue other opportunities. However, you can quite easily question the timing of such a move, with training camps starting around the NHL.

While based on no inside information whatsoever, this leads us to believe the Oilers pushed for this rather than Holland. The 43-year-old has been with the organization since 2019, when he came on board as a scout.

As we alluded to at the beginning of this article, Holland was never likely to become the next general manager of the Oilers. He was always up against it, with it difficult to envision a transition of power remaining in the Holland family.

Holland can eventually become an NHL GM

At the same time though, this does not mean the law graduate doesn't have the potential to end up as a general manager elsewhere in the NHL. He has gained a lot of relevant experience over the years that can help him eventually taking on the role.

This includes helping Jackson run the show in the interim between his dad's departure and the hiring of the controversial Stan Bowman. We do firmly believe Holland will indeed one day become an NHL general manager in his own right - it just isn't going to happen in Edmonton with the Oilers.

Interestingly, while Holland continues to pay his dues in order to become a general manager in the NHL further down the road, his next job opportunity could also come as a result of a family connection. As per Gabriel Foley of Pro Hockey Rumors, he could end up with the Oilers' Western Conference rivals the Dallas Stars, where his uncle Dennis Holland serves as an amateur scout.

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