Oilers, Hall of Fame GM Ken Holland agree to part ways - ESPN

Ken Holland's time as the general manager for the Edmonton Oilers is over.

Three days after losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers confirmed the long-standing belief that they would not renew the Hall of Fame executive's contract, which was in the final month.

Jeff Jackson, the Oilers CEO of hockey operations, said the decision to not extend Holland's contract was mutual.

«Over the past five seasons as general manager, Ken has not only built the Edmonton Oilers into one of the NHL's best teams, but he has also established a deeply rooted foundation of success and a culture of winning that will continue well into the future,» Jackson said in a statement Thursday. «Thanks in large part for Ken's outstanding work, Edmonton has become a destination city for players around the National Hockey League.»

Holland's future with the Oilers had been in question for several months, only to have that speculation intensify throughout the team's playoff run.

Before joining the Oilers in May 2019, the 68-year-old Holland had been with the Detroit Red Wings for 34 seasons in numerous roles, including general manager since the 1997-98 season. The team would win three Stanley Cups with Holland, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2020.

He left the Red Wings after he'd been promoted to senior vice president in a move that allowed Detroit to name then-Tampa Bay Lightning GM and former captain Steve Yzerman as its GM.

With a pair of 100-point-scoring generational talents in Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, the Oilers hired Holland with the objective that he could build a roster that would allow them to win their first Stanley Cup since 1990.

He gradually supplemented the Oilers' roster by adding forwards