"Absolute nightmare of a hire": NHL fans react to ex-Oilers GM Ken Holland reportedly expected to take up top executive role at LA Kings 

News that former Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland is reportedly expected to take on a top executive role with the Los Angeles Kings sparked strong reactions from NHL fans across social media.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Monday that all indications are that Ken Holland is set to join the Kings organization in the coming days.

This comes after he spent last season working as a consultant with the NHL’s Operations Department, following the end of his contract with the Oilers after their Game 7 loss in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

Fans were quick to voice their concerns about Holland's potential hiring, with one describing it as an:

"Absolute nightmare of a hire."

Another fan wrote:

"Do these teams know they don’t have to keep hiring the same failures over and over?"

Here are some more reactions from fans on X/Twitter:

"No generational talent and another top 5 talent to make him look good. He has to earn it," one fan wrote.

"How can you look at all the people available and be “Yup Holland is our guy,”" another fan said.

"Okay I guess they are actually going into a rebuild. Thought it was an exaggeration," one fan commented.

"Just needs to be really smart and make a couple of huge moves, because the kings aren’t that far away," a fan added.

Holland spent 27 seasons in the role with the Oilers and Detroit Red Wings. During that time, he won four Stanley Cup championships and amassed an impressive 1,145 regular-season victories.

NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman's take on Ken Holland's potential move to the LA Kings

Speaking on his "32 Thoughts" podcast Monday, Friedman noted that there is a shift from earlier assumptions that Marc Bergevin, currently serving as a senior advisor with the Kings, was the likely successor.

"People were under the impression that Bergevin would slide into that job. Now it appears less likely," Friedman revealed via NHLTradeTalks.com.

Friedman added that he doesn't expect Holland to sign a long-term deal, but sees the fit as a logical one given the Kings' desire to contend in the near future.

While the Kings are still expected to consider multiple candidates, Friedman believes Holland's vast experience gives him a strong edge in the race to become the LA Kings' next general manager.