Other Oilers news
Calvin Pickard and Cam Dineen re-upped - Pickard was re-upped for $2 million over two seasons ($1 million AAV), while prospect blueliner Dineen was signed to a two way contract at $775,000 per at the NHL level ($1.55 million total). Dineen is not one of the surefire NHL prospects at this time, we'll see what he does over the length of the contract.
Jack Campbell bought out - I was honestly hoping the Oilers could trade Campbell somewhere before exploring this - maybe Vegas where Campbell has the same cap hit as Lehner, or Washington prior to them trading for Thompson, or Seattle or Detroit where their goaltending is nothing to write home about. But, for all I know, maybe Holland already explored this option and found it wanting. The move will save the Oilers $3.9 million this upcoming season, $2.7 million two seasons from now, and $2.4 million three seasons from now before costing $1.5 million for the next three seasons after that. It remains to be seen what the Oilers will do with that cap savings.
Ken Holland and Oilers mutually part ways - His contract was up as of June 30, and it won't be renewed. It always seemed a bit odd to me that the Oilers didn't want to renew the contract of the GM who had built their team into a Stanley Cup contender - and on the surface that's certainly what it looks like. However, it was evident that as soon as Bob Nicholson moved into an advisor role from running the hockey ops, and the Oilers hired Jeff Jackson to replace him, we all knew there was some possibility that Holland's days were numbered regardless of how he does at the helm. Holland, after all, was a Nicholson hire, and so when your boss moves out or to a different role than before, you don't have that protection in your job on an NHL team. Holland was also believed to acknowledge that Jackson would likely want to "hire his own guy" so to speak. The Oilers, while largely satisfied with Holland's performance, were thinking they might want to get younger at the position. After all, Holland is 68, and he has children and grandchildren, and with $25 million made from just working with the Oilers alone, not to mention whatever he made all those years in Detroit, he has the cash to determine his own destiny. We don't know at this point whether he will simply retire or take a job with another NHL club. Jackson himself will be the interim GM, and now he has a chance to really put his own stamp on this club. Internal candidates for the GM job are believed to be Keith Gretzky, current assistant GM (and primary GM For the Condors) and interim GM for the club after Peter Chiarelli was fired, current capologist Bill Scott, and assistant GM Brad Holland, who oversees pro scouting for the Oilers right now.
Oilers cup run makes a $200 million economic impact to the City of Edmonton - At this point it's pretty safe to say that Daryl Katz's investment in the Oilers in 2008 has paid off in spades for him. The Oilers are now a top 10 NHL team in terms of their books and profit margins, and this past playoff run has only enhanced that. Part of that boon for the city must've been in increased revenues from the Community Revilatalization Levy put down for many years to come as part of the funding formula for businesses surrounding Rogers Place, who surely saw a surge in business on game days themselves. So no need to feel sorry for them that they have to pay extra taxes. Congratulations to Katz, he has built the Oilers into a business entity that consistently punches above it's weight class.