Nothing I say will suddenly convince you that Ken Holland hasn't completely failed in his task 40 games into a 5 year contract. But I'll state my opinion once more.
For 15 years this organization has had a terrible staff dedicated to identifying and developing real NHL talent. Nobody was ever removed when new bodies were brought in to right the ship and as a result this franchise has failed to draft and develop any actual talent outside of the first round, barring a very few oddities. That's why the team is consistently bad year after year. Not because they won't go out and snatch up all the guys who happen to have decent, or bounce back starts to the season. You can't build anything on hindsight. It's the same reason Hall and Eberle never had any success here, the place has been devoid of anything resembling NHL depth for as long as I can remember. Sustained depth and a constant pipeline of good talent that is properly nurtured is not built through trades. That's why good teams are consistently good, and why when they do have downturns it isn't spread across a handful of seasons. That's why Edmonton swims in futility for almost two decades.
It's extremely unfortunate that Ken Holland arrived 4 years after McDavid had to suffer under PC & Company, but best player in the world or not the only way this franchise ever becomes a legitimate, sustainable success is if they do overhaul their drafting and development. Mcuh to the chagrin of some this means sticking relatively to the plan and laying his own groundwork in the first season or two. This is something I believe Ken Holland knows a thing or two about, and I don't really care if some folks think he's just a stupid dinosaur that doesn't understand the game anymore. He's one of the most well respected hockey minds currently in the game with the connections that go along with it. He's the first one to actually remove pieces of the old regime and fill them with his own. He picked his own coach who is known for getting more out of rosters not built of much. He took a couple of swings at free agents. Whiffes on some, hit on a couple as minor upgrades, and came short on others. With almost no cap space, and a decent chunk opening up after this season he was straight forward about his approach and plan which was to go with the few tweaks he did make and see where everything wound up at the halfway mark. Despite the sky is falling screams of impending doom, this team is not even close to being eliminated from wild card contention.
Knowing all this, I disagree with the notion that he has somehow failed in his task of righting a ship that's been rotting at the bottom of the ocean for 15 years because after the 40 game mark the team is 20-17-4 and in the thick of not only their own division but the wildcard as well. Exactly where they should have been heading into this season.
Edit: Holy ****in ramble. I apologize
