It’s fitting that we’re at the beginning of March, and in Alberta, the month of March has come in like a lion with a lot of snow and cold temperatures and will hopefully exit like a lamb. In what could be Ken Holland’s final NHL trade deadline as general manager (GM) with the Edmonton Oilers , you almost get the sense that even though he’s approached the deadline like a lamb he will exit on March 8 like a lion by making a positive impact on the team. He could make a move similar to what he did close to the 2023 Trade Deadline when he picked up Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators.
Like him or loathe him, the Oilers have improved under Holland. Sure he has spent to the ceiling of the salary cap every year and made a couple of bad moves which I’m sure he’d like back. Namely signing Jack Campbell to a five-year contract and trading valuable assets for Andreas Athanasiou. But if you look at the glass as half full, he brought in Zach Hyman through free agency on what now looks like a value contract.
He re-signed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at a reduced rate, and he has rebuilt the Oilers’ blue line through smart decisions like the Ekholm trade. Some fans might feel he hasn’t done enough. But, he’s done quite well when you consider that NHL player salaries have skyrocketed while the salary cap has remained stagnant during his time in Edmonton.
You Can Bet Holland Would Do Anything to Win It All This Season
I think Holland might have something up his sleeve in terms of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline on March 8. Based on his history, you know he’s going to want to pick up some impact players to improve the Oilers’ chances of not only making the playoffs but advancing far toward winning the Stanley Cup. There’s been talk of Holland having a lot of irons in the fire, but not much talk about the fire he has in his belly to want to win it all this year. You can almost bet that if this is indeed his final season as GM of the Oilers, he wants to go out on top. Winning his Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings and now possibly the Oilers would cement his legacy as one of the best GMs in NHL history. You have to know, deep down, he’s going to do everything possible at the NHL Trade Deadline to help the Oilers win, and help himself go out on top.
Is a Repeat of the Ekholm Deal in the Cards for the Oilers in 2024?
Last season, not many people would’ve predicted the Oilers would land Ekholm, and it makes you wonder if Holland doesn’t have something similar cooking for the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. There’s been trade talk about the Oilers possibly wanting to pursue Jake Guentzel, and other names such as Tyler Toffoli, Pavel Buchnevich, Jordan Eberle, Nic Dowd and Adam Henrique have also been mentioned.
But what will Holland really do? Is there a player or two that hasn’t been mentioned that he’s hoping to bring to Oil Country? And if they are a significant name, who will be leaving Edmonton to make room for the new additions? If you’re an Oilers fan you have to hope that lightning can strike twice and the new addition(s) are as impactful as Ekholm has been with the Oilers since arriving last spring.
Is Holland Waiting Patiently Because of Salary Cap Restrictions?
One of the biggest reasons Holland hasn’t made a splash like the Vancouver Canucks did when they recently acquired Elias Lindholm or the Winnipeg Jets did when they traded for Sean Monahan could be because he knows if he waits until the final day, he will have more cap money to make a move – close to $2.4 million in deadline cap space to be exact. Having this extra money to play with could make a big difference in who the Oilers are able to land at the trade deadline. Any trade between now and March 8 affects the amount of deadline space cash he has to work with, that’s probably the reason why he hasn’t pulled the trigger on a major deal to counter those of the Canucks and Jets.
Holland Holding His Cards Close to His Chest
It’s interesting to try and get a good read on Holland as the trade deadline approaches. He may tell a reporter one thing, and turn around and do the opposite. Which is a savvy strategy if you want to make a significant deal. He’s been around the block long enough to know when to play his hand. And in this season especially, you have to know there’s extra motivation for him to land another big fish to help the Oilers now. He wants to go out on top, and many fans are hoping this happens not only for the Oilers but for Holland himself. I wouldn’t count him out in terms of coming into the NHL Trade Deadline like a lamb and leaving like a lion. It’s early March in Oil Country and everyone is paying attention to Holland and the Oilers and the weather. Because they can all be unpredictable at this time of year.
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