Ken Holland During Exit Interview: I Can't Keep This Team Together

The Oilers face yet another disappointing season's end & another summer's worth of questions facing management. After their sweep at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, there leaves much to be desired while the Oilers employ two of the NHL's very best skaters, Connor McDavid & Leon Draisaitl. That window, however, will not last forever, so the impetus lies heavily on GM Ken Holland to perform the necessary surgery to solve his team's postseason problems. Judging by his candid exit interview, he & his staff have a solid grip on what needs to be done to reach the next level.

First things first, Holland addressed the injuries that plagued his team in their playoff run. As speculated & later confirmed by Holland, star C Leon Draisaitl was indeed battling a high-ankle sprain. He was visibly laboring through the Oilers' run. According to Holland, Draisaitl's ailment was suffered during Game 6 vs. LAK when Kings D Mikey Anderson 'body slammed' the Oilers' center. Holland also mentioned that Kailer Yamamoto is in concussion protocol after the hit from Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins & Jesse Puljujarvi both played through shoulder injuries, and Darnell Nurse will not require surgery to repair his torn hip flexor. While players in every market fight through injury, these developments provide valuable context in understanding a team's success or lack thereof.

Next on the docket was goaltending; Holland passed on several opportunities to acquire a number one goaltender, which proved to be a deciding factor in the team's ultimate demise this season. No knock on Mike Smith, but he simply was never going to backstop the Oilers to a championship. Furthermore, the Oilers have 11 contracts expiring this summer and a projected $7 million to re-sign them. Hardly a position of strength. Free agents include, Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto, & Ryan McLeod (RFAs), as well as Evander Kane*, Josh Archibald, Colton Sceviour, Brett Kulak, Kris Russell, & Mikko Koskinen.

Evander Kane's contract with San Jose is still under review per a grievance filed with the NHLPA & could be reinstated, per Jeff Marek*.

The Jesse Puljujarvi situation should be interesting this summer. Ryan Rishaug of TSN Edmonton reported that the Oilers will prioritize Yamamoto over Puljujarvi this summer:

Ken Holland has a daunting summer ahead. Many pressing problems on his shoulders & not a whole lot in his back pocket. However, with Connor McDavid & Leon Draisaitl on the team, they can never be counted out. But in their current form, Holland understands his team's flaws & knows they need to transform:

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