Holland: 'Lots of irons in the fire' ahead of deadline

Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland is keeping his options open with a week remaining before the trade deadline.

"I can't tell you what's going to happen," Holland told Sportsnet's Mark Spector. "What I can tell you is, I have lots of irons in the fire. I have done lots of talking internally with my coaching staff. I've talked to Connor (McDavid) a couple of times in the last couple of weeks. I talk to (president) Jeff Jackson every day. Every day, I'm talking to other (general) managers."

The Oilers are expected to be buyers after reviving their season under head coach Kris Knoblauch. Holland has a history of making numerous moves per campaign since taking over in Edmonton. He's already brought in veteran Corey Perry this year to supplement the club's forward depth.

"Since I've been a manager here, at the trade deadline - except for the pandemic - I got two players twice, and I got three players once," Holland said. "Whether you like the players or you don't like the players ... the reality is we make moves at every deadline."

Holland made a big splash at last year's deadline, adding veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators and depth center Nick Bjugstad as a rental.

Holland has approximately $2.3 million in deadline cap space, according to Cap Friendly.

The Oilers are third in the Pacific Division, sitting one point behind the Vegas Golden Knights with three games in hand. The two clubs met in the second round of last year's playoffs, with Vegas prevailing in six games.