Former Top-10 Pick Blames Ken Holland For Ruining His Career in New Interview
Former Oilers GM Ken Holland has been blamed for the early retirement of former Edmonton player Slater Koekkoek, as he did not hold back his words.
Former Edmonton Oilers defenceman Slater Koekkoek called it a career at just 28 years old, and recently, he explained that one of the bigger reasons he decided to hang them up was due to a very important meeting with Oilers GM Ken Holland.
Originally drafted 10th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Slater Koekkoek came into the league with many expectations.
A few years later, he made his NHL debut but did not manage to get himself into the lineup regularly with the Lightning, eventually signing with the Chicago Blackhawks.
He had 42 games in the 2019-20 season with Chicago before signing with the Edmonton Oilers in 2020. Having had a really promising beginning, Koekkoek played only 37 games in Edmonton before his surprising retirement.
Appearing recently on Jason Gregor's show, Koekkoek spoke candidly about anxiety and mental health issues factoring heavily into his reason for leaving the NHL.
He indicated in that same interview that during a team meeting, Ken Holland made some demeaning comments about his worth as a player and it was after that that Koekkoek realized he didn't want to be a professional hockey player anymore.
Koekkoek said how extreme anxiety afflicted him throughout his life. For example, he could barely eat when game days were forthcoming.
It was finally the mix of these mental health problems and meeting Holland that led to this difficult decision about retirement.
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| POLL | ||
DÉCEMBRE 12 | 144 ANSWERS Former Top-10 Pick Blames Ken Holland For Ruining His Career in New Interview Should Ken Holland be held accountable for this situation? | ||
| Yes | 80 | 55.6 % |
| No | 64 | 44.4 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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OCTOBER 27, 2025
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Drake Batherson | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Bryan Rust | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Tim Stutzle | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Sidney Crosby | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Erik Karlsson | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Jake Sanderson | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nick Bjugstad | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Evgeni Malkin | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Fabian Zetterlund | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Justin Brazeau | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Viktor Arvidsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nick Cousins | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Morgan Geekie | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Claude Giroux | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mathieu Joseph | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Kyrou | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Anthony Mantha | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Parker Wotherspoon | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mike Amadio | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Thomas Chabot | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Canadiens | 10 | 7 | 3 | - | 14 | |
| Red Wings | 9 | 6 | 3 | - | 12 | |
| Panthers | 10 | 5 | 5 | - | 10 | |
| Sabres | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | |
| Senators | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | |
| Maple Leafs | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | |
| Lightning | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | |
| Bruins | 10 | 4 | 6 | - | 8 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Devils | 9 | 8 | 1 | - | 16 | |
| Penguins | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 13 | |
| Hurricanes | 8 | 6 | 2 | - | 12 | |
| Capitals | 9 | 6 | 3 | - | 12 | |
| Islanders | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |
| Flyers | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |
| Blue Jackets | 8 | 4 | 4 | - | 8 | |
| Rangers | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 8 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Mammoth | 10 | 8 | 2 | - | 16 | |
| Avalanche | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 14 | |
| Jets | 9 | 6 | 3 | - | 12 | |
| Stars | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 11 | |
| Blackhawks | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 10 | |
| Predators | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 | |
| Wild | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 8 | |
| Blues | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 13 | |
| Kraken | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 12 | |
| Kings | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 11 | |
| Oilers | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 | |
| Canucks | 10 | 5 | 5 | - | 10 | |
| Ducks | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |
| Sharks | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 6 | |
| Flames | 10 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 5 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||