The best thing Ken Holland could do for the Edmonton Oilers is

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Edmonton Oilers fans won’t like the “hurry up and wait” phrase.

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They’ve done enough of that in the past 15 years.

But it’s possibly the most prudent approach to this offseason’s balance for the Oilers’ front office.

Read all about it in this week’s edition of…

9 things

9. If he is healthy, Leon Draisaitl is poised to overtake two great Oilers players in franchise standings this season. Draisaitl already has 616 points. That’s only 15 back from Ryan Smith (631), and only 53 back Paul coffee (669).

8. Also on the “Franchise Clock”: If Veteran Ryan Nugent Hopkins plays a full season of 82 games, he will be promoted in 5^th All-time place in Games Played, Passing Jari Kuri (754), Kelly Buchberger (795) and Shawn Horcoff (796). The nuge is currently at 719.

7. A lot of NHL head office guys have retired to the lake for the rest of the summer. But one guy who isn’t working on his golf game yet is Ken Holland, who took part in the Hlinka Gretzky tournament. Holland kept the club’s last 10 1s^St Round out draft picks and maybe hope to catch a glimpse of an 11^th.

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6. I like the Jack Campell acquisition. But it often takes a while for players to get used to their new environment. It’s harder than you might think. For that reason I wouldn’t be surprised if Stuart Skinner plays more than just a backup role in the early days. Skinner’s numbers go in the right direction. His SV% over the last 3 AHL seasons has been .892, .914, and .920…along with a more than respectable .913 in 13 NHL games last season.

5. Two well-known NHL veterans remain associated with the Edmonton Oilers: PK Subban and Phil Kessel. Subban has earned over $80 million in his career, while Kessel has made $93 million. At this point in their careers, they’ve made the most money they’ll likely ever need. They still want to win, especially after seasons in New Jersey and Arizona. So why should their agents (Don Meihan and Wayne Arnott) don’t call a Final 4 team to see if it’s a match?

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4. Tyler Benson has a new 2-way contract. His qualifying bid was $787,500. But he accepted a deal for less than that (the league minimum) but with an increase in AHL dollars. I wonder if we’re seeing the impact of Keith Gretzky here, which became the Oilers AGM just weeks after Benson’s 2016 call. To date, Benson has not emerged as an interested party. But he’s playing the game right and would be a welcome veteran pro at Bakersfield and NHL draft depth. But that’s a healthy AHL salary. So it is also a sign that the owner is willing to spend money to build the system.

3. Watching the roster changeover in Calgary was fascinating as it comes down to the Battle of Alberta and the Edmonton Oilers matchup. I contend that the Flames did a more than admirable job turning in the face of their top 2 players. But Calgary isn’t going to be quite as good. John Huberdeau is an excellent player. He’s not the elite offensive man Johnny Gaudreau is, but overall probably a more versatile player. So the Flames are on the verge of replacing the late Gaudreau. Where they drop a pen is the loss of Matthew Tkachuk. Sure, Calgary added Blueliner MacKenzie Weegar. But the Flames were already excellent defensively and had only marginal room to realistically improve. What they haven’t replaced is Tkachuk’s unique skills (or 104 points). And until they do, despite their best efforts, they’re still “a liter down.”

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2. The expected signing of Kailer Yamamoto last week on solidifying the Oilers roster for 2022-23. I expect another squad change or two and there are always a surprise or two outside of training camp. But if the season started tomorrow (and assuming everything goes well with Ryan McLeod), here’s just one version of a 20-man Oilers regular-season lineup to consider:

Kane-McDavid-Hyman

Nugent-Hopkins-Draisaitl-Yamamoto

Holloway-McLeod-Puljujarvi

Foegele-Ryan-Janmark

Nurse—Bouchard

Broberg-Ceci

Kulak-Barrie

Campbell-Skinner

I couldn’t ice that lineup in a Game 7 Stanley Cup Playoff game. But in Game 1 of an 82-game roster, put Broberg in a position where he can thrive…with a dependable defensive veteran. These top 6 are perhaps the best in the NHL. And while Puljujarvi fans will inevitably see this as a downgrade, just imagine how big, nimble, fast and difficult to contain these 3 are^approx line would be.

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1. Part of the fun of writing for the Edmonton Oilers is the passion of the fan base. And right now, a huge portion of those fans want Ken Holland to “get it all done now.” Strike the big deal, solve the upcoming cap problem now and head to training camp fully loaded. And while that’s fun and all (and fun IS a part of fanning), it probably doesn’t make the most sense for this organization from a management perspective right now. If I were Ken Holland, although it’s always wise to keep an eye on things, I would… slow things down.

I’ve worked for a couple of very successful CEOs in my career. And usually, when there was a big decision to make, her advice to me was almost never, “Hurry up and get this done.” In fact, it was often the opposite: “Slow it down.” Let’s not rush into a big decision. These things often work themselves out, or at least… a better solution comes along. So how would this type of advice apply ken Holland now?

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Well, while it’s absolutely true that he has a cap issue to work out, Holland still has two months to do so. The season doesn’t start until October 12th^th. And as one of the most experienced general managers in the game, Holland’s experience will tell him there’s no need to rush now. There will be factors at play that he cannot yet see or even predict. how you ask

What if one of your key players is paralyzed but you’ve already traded in his potential replacement? What if one of the players on the other team did the same and the guy you just dealt was the perfect match and had a better return than you just got for him? Just as an example, if you dish out Tyson Barrie and Evan Bouchard gets injured, who will lead your power play?

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There’s no such thing as a “must have” guy for the Oilers, and whoever else you choose to sign (I think Edmonton would love to add another up front) will likely get cheaper over time since it’s an extreme buyer’s market.

A lot can still happen before the end of the training camp. But if you redeem that chip too early, you won’t be able to use it later.

Slow it down. It’s almost always to your advantage.

Find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins

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