from Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun,

When it comes to the trade deadline, Ken Holland has a philosophy.

“When your team plays at a high level to put themselves in a position to get into the playoffs, as the general manager I want to help out.

“I like to make a move that sends a message to your team, a message that says ‘You guys have played great to get us to this point, I’m going to try to help out.’ ”

In a one-on-one interview with your correspondent Thursday, Holland revealed his intent to be a player at the trade deadline if his hockey club keeps itself in position to warrant it.

Having taken over the job as Edmonton Oilers GM with the team in salary cap jail, all Holland could do was sign a bunch of low dollar one-year deals with veteran European and North American players, hoping a few of them would help build a bridge to next year.

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