Ken Holland hires former Oilers director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright in Los Angeles

Wright worked under Holland in Edmonton from 2019 until the two sides “mutually parted ways” following the 2022–23 season. Under Wright, the Oilers had a stretch that included some controversial draft picks, a lot of debate, and not a whole lot of immediate NHL payoff. While the jury is still out on some of Wright’s selections, there’s little doubt that Oilers fans were expecting more from him in that spot. Regardless, the reunion tour lives on.

This will be the third time Wright and Holland have worked together at the NHL level. First, he held this position in Detroit, then in Edmonton, and now in Los Angeles. There’s clearly trust there between Old Dutch and Wright, and Holland has always been a guy who hires from a place of familiarity. For better or worse, this is his team to build now in LA, and it’s not surprising to see familiar faces filling key roles.

The track record

Wright’s draft history in Edmonton was a mixed bag. He landed Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg with first round picks — both of whom had strong seasons with the St. Louis Blues after the offer sheet from last summer — and while there may be upside with players like Beau Akey and Matvei Petrov, there hasn’t been a true impact player to emerge from that era just yet. That could change with time, but for now, the resume doesn’t match the expectations we have in Edmonton.

His time in Detroit? Similar story. There were some swings and misses, but also a few clear wins, including Dylan Larkin and Moritz Seider. So the potential is there — it just hasn’t been all that consistent. And in Columbus before that? Let’s just say no one’s writing books about it. My point being, it’s not surprising that Holland brought his man with him to L.A. but it also kind of is.

For the Los Angeles Kings, this is about Holland surrounding himself with people he knows and trusts as he reshapes a team that’s been stuck in the mushy middle. Whether Wright ends up helping them find their next Larkin or next Broberg remains to be seen, but Kings fans would be smart to temper expectations, especially if they were hoping for a dramatic shift in scouting direction. That said, we’ve already seen Holland bring in some ex-Oilers this summer, so only time will tell how effective this move will be.

The Wrap

In the end, this is a classic front office move: a guy gets hired, and his guy follows him. We’ve seen it in Detroit. We saw it in Edmonton. And now we’re seeing it again in LA. Whether or not it works out is another story. But one thing’s for sure — it didn’t take long for Oilers’ alumni from the Holland era to end up back with our old friend.