Ken Holland Joins Oilers as General Manager After 22 Years with Red Wings

The Edmonton Oilers announced Tuesday they have hired Ken Holland as their general manager and president of hockey operations.

Holland spent the previous 22 years as GM of the Detroit Red Wings before getting promoted to senior vice president in April to make room for the hiring of Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman as the general manager.

In Edmonton, Holland will replace Peter Chiarelli, who was fired in January.

In the Oilers' press release regarding his hiring, Holland said the following about making the leap to Edmonton: "I am very happy to be joining the Edmonton Oilers. I believe we can build something special in Edmonton, and I look forward to putting a plan in place to make the Oilers a consistently successful team."

Per Sportsnet, Holland suggested his decision to leave Detroit for Edmonton was based on his desire to continue being an NHL GM:

Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson also commented on Holland's hiring:

"The Edmonton Oilers are excited to welcome Ken Holland to the organization. Ken's experience as a hockey executive and NHL general manager is unmatched, and his arrival is an important step to the Oilers achieving the success we all want for the team. I look forward to working with Ken, and he will have full autonomy over all aspects of hockey operations for the Edmonton Oilers."

During Holland's tenure as GM in Detroit, the Red Wings made 18 consecutive playoff appearances from 1997-98 through 2015-16. That run of success included three Stanley Cup titles and four Stanley Cup Final appearances.

Detroit also won a Stanley Cup in 1997 when Holland was serving as assistant general manager.

The Red Wings have failed to make the playoffs the past three seasons, but WFAN's Daniel J. Friedman doesn't believe Holland is to blame:

Holland will take over an Oilers team that has made the playoffs just once in the past 13 seasons. Since reaching the second round of the playoffs two years ago, the Oilers have finished the past two seasons with only 78 and 79 points, respectively.

Even so, Edmonton has arguably the best hockey player in the world in Connor McDavid, as well as another legitimate star in Leon Draisaitl.

Holland has his work cut out for him in terms of adding secondary scoring, building a strong defensive corps, figuring out the goaltending situation and hiring a new head coach. But with a core of McDavid and Draisaitl, he has a duo that most NHL general managers would envy.