from David Staples of the Edmonton Journal,

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

Earning widespread praise?

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.'”

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