from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe,

We’re a long way from the vote tallying, but Ken Holland is the early leader for NHL executive of the year on the strength of his July 19 deal that brought James Neal to Edmonton — a swap for Milan Lucic that looks like it may have triggered a turnaround for the moribund Oilers franchise.

Holland was named Oilers general manager in May, successor to the fired Peter Chiarelli, after the Red Wings finalized the coronation of Steve Yzerman as the new mayor of Hockeytown. Two months later, Holland swapped ex-Bruin Lucic for Neal, whose hands inexplicably turned to stone during his one-season stay in Calgary after signing there following his year in Vegas (acquired there in the expansion draft).

Not an easy deal to make, for either side. Both veteran forwards carried pricey, long-term tickets. Worse was the accompanying stigma that their careers were somewhere between a standstill and a dead end. With Lucic appearing to be the greater liability of the two 30-somethings, Holland was forced to retain $3 million of the big winger’s deal (a $750,000 charge for each of the remaining four years on his $6 million-a-year contract).

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