PENTICTON, BC — Ken Holland is back where he grew up, a few hours south of his hometown in Vernon BC, on the lakefront in Penticton. The triathletes swim laps in Lake Okanagan and the ducks roam alongside the seniors on a smoky, warm September day in inland British Columbia.
Nothing could be more relaxing, right?
“I’m always nervous, okay?” Holland admits. “For 27 years as a manager, I’ve always been nervous. Because I understand how difficult the league is, how close the games are and how many games you have to win by one goal.
“I’m never relaxed.”
Holland has made the Edmonton Oilers a real contender for the Stanley Cup, but in his eyes all that work screams “yesterday.” By American Thanksgiving, if his Oilers ranks for a playoff spot, they have less than a 10 percent chance of making the April postseason, according to math.
So he’s already nervous about preseason and 20 games open that could confirm the people who like his team or give the critics a voice.
“Last year we started 21-5. If we didn’t get off to a good start last year, we probably won’t make the playoffs,” he said. “Where are you after 20 games?”
We caught up with Holland here in Penticton for a question and answer session by the lake, after which the 66-year-old skipped a ride and made the 20-minute walk to the rink to watch his rookies practice. Here’s our conversation, edited (of course) for brevity:
SN – 20 years ago you would never have hoped to have a rookie defenseman, a rookie left winger and a second defenseman on a team that had Stanley Cup ambitions. Today that is the goal. Does it make you nervous?
CH — “First of all, this is just the world of salary caps. Twenty years ago we won the Cup in Detroit, we had Pavel Datsyuk. He was 23 and had played in Russia (the top division). In ’03 or ’04 we played Nashville in Round 1. We had a $70 million team and they had a $25 million team. The game has changed.
“Now Broberg was the eighth pick in the draft. At 19 he was captain of Sweden at the World Juniors. Holloway was fifth in the nation (NCAA) when he scored as a 19-year-old and played against guys who were 21, 22, 23. Skinner played pro for four years. He is now 23 years old.”
SN — When summer started, you were asked where Jesse Puljujarvi fits in. They replied, “I have to find out.” What did you find out that Puljujarvi is still an oiler?
CH – “What I did in the offseason was I talked to a lot of people in the draft about a lot of our players. Many many ideas. I Jesse’s name came up often. But ultimately nothing made sense that I thought would make us better because we’re in the position now. The core of our team is in its prime, so now I’m making decisions to win. I don’t want to trade players for draft picks.
“I’m not sure where he fits in. Is he in the top 6? Will he be in the bottom 6? That’s a good thing because I think our team is deeper and more competitive than last year. Let’s see where the dust settles here over the next month.”
SN — Talk about the player: Puljujarvi. Are the dynamics changing now that he’s making $3 million and he’s 24?
CH — “It changes it a lot. You know, for the last two years, it’s certainly been at $1.175 million. Three million, that’s not a lot of money for a top six player. But if he’s on our third line…I would assume he’ll be a top 9 forward.
“He had a great start (last season) then he hit the wall. I think he’s lost his confidence. I know he lost his confidence last year. This is a fresh start, a new chance. Let’s see where we end up in a month, in a month.”
SN – You told me privately late last season that your chances of signing Evander Kane were slim. you had no money What happened?
CH – “Evander had a $7 million AAV with San Jose. He was a $7 million player. What also happened between then and now is that I had a feeling that Duncan Keith was coming back. Well, Duncan is $5.5 million off the cap. I made a deal to move Zack Kassian to Arizona. If you don’t do these two steps, it will be difficult for us to do anything. Having those two steps happen allowed us to (sign Kane) – and dovetail that with the fact that Evander really enjoyed being an oiler.
SN — They had Fedorov and Yzerman. They had Zetterberg and Datsyuk. Now you have McDavid and Draisaitl. Are you getting good at building around two Superstars?
CH — “Working with Jim Devellano and Scotty Bowman from 1994 to 1997 was like going to Harvard for me. What I learned from these hockey guys was team building… and what I’ve tried to do here for three years is slowly build the team. You must have depth.
“The good teams have an engine – four or five players. Of course we have an engine: Connor, Leon, Darnell… We had to go outside, do free agent moves but also development of some players who were in the system when I came here: Puljujarvi, (Kailer) Yamamoto , ( Ryan) McLeod, (Evan) Bouchard … I’m trying to do the same with Holloway and Broberg.”
SN — The best three-round performances I can remember were Doug Gilmour (’93), Peter Forsberg (’02, WCF) and Erik Karlsson (’17). Were McDavid’s and Draisaitl’s their equal? Or better?
CH — “We played against three really good ice hockey teams, and they averaged two points per game or more. I mean they won, they have 33 and 32 points (in 16 games)? You were incredible. I mean, Leon is playing with a high ankle sprain… Those two performances from Connor and Leon last year were as good as anything I’ve seen from players in all my years in Detroit. What they did is one of the greatest accomplishments in the playoffs under pressure that I’ve enjoyed witnessing.”
SN — Their cap situation could result in a 21-man roster at the start of the season. That seems risky. Her thoughts? Would you leave at 22…?
CH — “I would just tell you, we are trying to win. So we’re pushing. We raise the cap. There are probably 20 other teams in the same situation. We stand firm because we try to win and keep as many parts as possible.”
SN — Does this view of Lake Okanagan remind you of growing up?
CH — “You don’t realize how beautiful it is until you go. I’ve been going away for 30 years – I come back every time – but when you go you start seeing all these other places in the world and you realize how beautiful the Okanagan is.”
SN — In Detroit you won trophies by not spending much on goalies. Is a $25M investment in Campbell a departure from that?
CH — “We spent three great years with Smitty (Mike Smith) and he’s broken and can’t play anymore. (Mikko Koskinen) decided to return to Europe, so we needed a goalkeeper. But we’re actually spending fewer goals in 2023 than 22. We’re going to spend $5.75 million this year. Last year it was $6.7 million. We’re aiming for a million dollars less this year for a year.”
SN — Do you worry that the expectations of your team might be too high?
CH – “Connor is (will) be 26, now Leon will be (will) be 27. I know Hyman is 30 and Darnell is 27. Jack Campbell is 30. You know, I think the expectations are good. Our goal was to grow into a cup contender.
“Well, my message to our team next week is, ‘Last year is history.’ Three of the four teams that made the Final 4 a year ago – Montreal, Vegas and the Islanders – all missed out on the playoffs last year. It was a wonderful story (last spring) but we have to start all over again here next Wednesday and over eight preseason games. We must build, we must be ready to go.
“There is nothing wrong with expectations. It means people believe your team has real potential. But next week it starts all over again. We have to, we have to do it again.”
#Relaxed #Oilers #Ken #Holland
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