Ken Holland, oft-criticized GM of the Edmonton Oilers, crushing it?

Even having some of his work praised by prickly Corsi-loving analytics types?

Yes, all that happened in the last few days based on Holland’s three major signings of Unrestricted Free Agents Evander Kane, Jack Campbell and Brett Kulak.

We’ll start off our round-up of the praise-o-rama with long-time NHL writer Ken Campbell, a sharp observer of the game, who wrote on his excellent blog: “Not that he likely cares what other people think, but the consensus around the hockey world was that Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland had a very, very good day on Day 1 of free agency. Recent seasons have not been kind to him in terms of his status as a hockey executive. When asked whether, at the age of 66, he feels as though he might have his fastball back, he replied: ‘Well, it’s not as fast as it once was. So I’m nibbling more around the edges. As you get older you’ve got to work the curveball in.'”

On the Campbell signing, TSN’s Ray Ferraro, who for years has been one of the best NHL commentators, noted of Holland winning out:  “I think Jack Campbell makes Edmonton a better team. Jack Campbell has not exactly had a stellar injury history either. You may end up with Stuart Skinner playing more games than you think. I just thought, when I watched Skinner, yeah, this guy doesn’t belong in the American league any more. He’s too good. He’s ready for the next chapter. So Edmonton’s goaltending is better.”

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet noted that all the Oilers are looking for from Campbell is stable play. “He played a bunch of games last year with a broken rib, which is crazy. I can’t sit in my backyard with a broken rib…I think Campbell will feel he has something to prove because Toronto was not going to give him that contract… He’ll be motivated to prove something.”

The Kulak signing was also big for the Oilers, Friedman said, with his co-pilot on the must-listen 32 Thoughts podcast Jeff Marek adding, “I thought (Kulak) was going. I was one of the guys who bit at that, Whoosh, it’s. gotten too late, Kulak has had a chance to look at the other side of the mountain. He’s gone. The secret is out. He looked so good on the Oilers blueline. Good for them getting that done.”

Also on TSN, former Olympic player Cheryl Pounder listed Edmonton as a big winner of the first day of free agency: “I’m going to go with the Edmonton Oilers,” she said. ” They are building off of their playoff success. You think of the three areas they wanted to work on. Certainly they wanted an upgrade in goal and I do think Jack Campbell brings that. Secondly you’ve got Evander Kane, they looked a ta Top 6 forward ,a guy that provides that phusical edge, 15 points in 17 playoff games,  this was unbelievable what this guy was able to do. And of course you’ve got Kulak on the back end, bringing some defensive presence, the ability to play physical.”

The Oilers did not make every list of successful teams on the annual “winners and losers of free agency” posts, but it made many of them, including this from Matt Larkin of the Daily Faceoff: “Just 10 days ago, as part of our Daily Faceoff Roundtable, the panel members ruminated on which GMs were under the most pressure this offseason. I chose Ken Holland. The Oilers, I surmised, had so many question marks. Could they hold onto Evander Kane? Find a new No. 1 goaltender? Cross their fingers and hope for a Duncan Keith retirement and Mike Smith LTIR stash? Find a way to re-sign underrated blueliner Brett Kulak? If you had told me then that the answer to all those questions would be ‘yes’ within less than two weeks, I would’ve laughed. Hats off to Holland, who managed to lock up Kane, one of the sport’s top power forwards when emotionally committed, on a four-year contract at a reasonable AAV of $5.125 million…. Holding on to him, not to mention Kulak, means the Oilers have strong odds of retaining the gains they made in 2021-22… Securing a new No. 1 netminder in Jack Campbell makes things even more interesting…. At worst, Campbell should be able to stop pucks as well as a 40-year-old Smith did this past season.”

And from USA Today, writer Mary Clarke: “Finally, the Oilers have a true starting goaltender after years of Mike Smith shenanigans.”

And Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon: “Retaining Evander Kane and Brett Kulak were really nice momentum-sustaining developments for a team that made the final four this past season. It would have been pretty excruciating to see Kane, in particular, walk out the door after we all saw what a fit he is beside Connor McDavid… If Campbell truly is the long-term solution, this will go down as a watershed day in Oil Country.”

And Justin Cuthbert of Yahoo.com:  “Any reservations on Jack Campbell are understandable; it’s not often that a netminder without surefire starter experience co-leads a free agent class. But for the first time in several summers, the Oilers were able to attract one of the biggest names at the position, which should be worth an upgrade at the most important position on the ice. But it’s how the Oilers retained the services of two impact additions from last season that helped Ken Holland make the grade. That the Oilers didn’t have to pay free-market prices on either Evander Kane or Brett Kulak, which not only keeps the team in tact but allows them to pursue other options throughout the summer months.”

As for the analytics guys, here is what Evolving Wild had to say about the Kulak deal: “The Oilers getting Brett Kulak is definitely something the Oilers should do, which doesn’t make any sense… So far I think the Kulak signing has been the best of any contract signed. It’s still very early, but that’s a steal.”

At The Athletic analytics ace Dom Luszczyszyn gave the Kane contract a grade of A for fit and B+ for value.

“It’s easy to say “anyone can play with McDavid” but it’s a different thing in practice, especially seeing someone work so well next to him,” he wrote. “The tricky part is the contract and Edmonton, fortunately, nailed that. Kane was a huge risk for overpayment given the rumors that started with a seven for both money and term – both of which would be too much for his age curve. A 30-year-old power forward doesn’t project to age well and the Oilers did really well to keep the contract to only four years. That they also brought the cap hit down to $5.125 million despite the shorter term is even better.”

As for the Campbell signing, Luszczyszyn gave that a B+ for fit and a C for value. :When Jack Campbell is on, he’s on. But when he’s off? Look out. Last season was Campbell’s first as a starter and it was a roller coaster full of inconsistent play. The big question is whether Campbell can be a legitimate and dependable starter. He’s projected to be the 23rd-best goalie in hockey which puts him in that range – but on the below-average side. At this price and term, the Oilers should be hoping for a bit more.”

As for the Kulak signing, Shayna Goldman of The Athletic gave it an A- both for Kulak’s fit on the team and for contract value. “Kulak was a strong fit in Edmonton after moving there at the deadline, so it makes sense that they’d want to bring him back. He’s a strong defender in his own zone who can limit scoring chances against, but usually he succeeds the most in sheltered minutes…. This is a really good contract because it still can be cost-effective regardless of where he plays — it’s excellent if he ends up playing top pair minutes, still very good on the second pair, and fine enough for a third-pair defender as well.”

Holland: “I excited and feel good about what we’ve done today.”

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