Oilers’ Ken Holland Reportedly a Candidate to Become Blue Jackets GM

Blue Jackets Being Patient With GM Search

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman brought up similar points about the Blue Jackets on May 15th’s 32 Thoughts: The Podcast episode. There’s a good chance that the Blue Jackets are waiting on teams so they could interview specific candidates that interest them. In this case, the Blue Jackets would be waiting for Edmonton’s playoff run to end before potentially speaking with Holland.

Friedman states the following:

“What’s going to happen in Edmonton after the season? That is I think one of the situations that could have an effect on Columbus.”

Columbus isn’t afraid to wait it out so they could speak to a candidate that they like. There isn’t an exact date for when the Blue Jackets want to name a GM, but it’s assumed by many insiders that they would like to have a GM in place by the 2024 NHL Draft.

Would Holland Be The Right Hire for Blue Jackets?

Holland certainly fits Columbus’ criteria of being an experienced GM. Prior to being hired by the Oilers, Holland spent 22 seasons as the GM for the Detroit Red Wings. During his time with the Red Wings, the team managed to get four President’s Trophies, ten division championships and five season conference titles.

He joined the Oilers organization in 2019 and it’s safe to say that there’s been mixed results. While Holland has made good moves such as signing Zach Hyman and trading for Mattias Ekholm, he’s also had his share of moves that have failed. Most notably the Jack Campbell signing and the acquisition of Andreas Athanasiou and Mike Green during the 2020 Trade Deadline.

While the experience is certainly there, it may not translate to success all the time. Many believed that this would be Holland’s last season before he retires from hockey all together. However, if he decides to give it another shot, it’ll definitely be with another franchise.

Columbus would be an interesting place for Holland. It would be fascinating to see how a veteran GM approaches a young core to transform them into a playoff team. Maybe he joins the organization in a mentorship role to help guide another individual into management. He would be an interesting addition to Columbus’ front office.

It’s likely that if Holland does join the Blue Jackets, it may be in a reduced role. It’s unknown if he wants to continue in management after this season, but given the criteria Columbus has for a new GM, expect some talks to be happening behind the scenes.