Former Oilers general manager Ken Holland has been the subject of heavy speculation this past week. According to media outlets, the veteran front office executive is on a shortlist to join the Los Angeles Kings as general manager.
Since November 2024, Holland has been a consultant with the NHL’s Department of Hockey Operations. Before that, he spent five seasons as Edmonton’s general manager, taking the team to the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals, which they lost to the Florida Panthers in seven games.
Insider’s Report Sheds Light on Ken Holland’s Talks with Kings
Co-host of the CatsnBolts hockey podcast Rod Pedersen on Monday posted on X that Holland was a strong candidate for the Kings’ next GM. Other experts covering the ongoing situation also agreed with Pederson’s insight.
Sounds like Ken Holland will be the next GM of the LA Kings. 👑
— Rod Pedersen (@rodpedersen)
On his “32 Thoughts” podcast, Sportsnet analyst Elliotte Friedman reported that momentum was building for Holland to fill the vacant GM position in Los Angeles.
“One of the names that is starting to circulate a little bit right now for the Kings is Ken Holland. He was in the mix for the Islanders, and I am reserving judgment for where I think the Islanders could be going here,” Friedman said. “But I’ve heard Holland’s name with the Kings and if they go external, he may have a shot here.”
Friedman added that it was looking more and more unlikely that Kings’ senior advisor Marc Bergevin would get the job.
“People were under the impression that Bergevin would slide into that job. Now it appears less likely,” Friedman said. The NHL insider added that he doesn’t expect Holland to sign a long-term deal.
Arthur Staple of The Athletic earlier reported on a meeting between Kings executives and Holland. The veteran executive is also a frontrunner for a similar role with the New York Islanders, but Staple said that Holland might prefer to stay on the West Coast, closer to home.
“The Kings, who lost for the fourth consecutive season to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs (Holland’s former team), are thought by many around the league to be better situated for a new GM than the Islanders, which is a front office and roster requiring bigger repairs than LA,” Staple added via The Athletic.
TSN analyst Pierre LeBrun posted on X on that Holland has already met with Kings president Luc Robitaille.
In his 27 years as a general manager in the league, Holland has won four Stanley Cup rings with the Detroit Red Wings, two Olympic gold medals for Canada, and has been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in 2020.
His Stanley Cups came when he served as assistant general manager and executive vice president and GM of the Red Wings from 1997 to 2019.
