Former Wasserman super agent Jeff Jackson is the new CEO of hockey operations for the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers announced the move on Thursday, as well as revealed details that former Oilers president Bob Nicholson has been moved to an advisory role, and a team spokesperson said, “he will work closely with Ken and Jeff.” Following this season, Ken Holland might leave, or he might stay on as general manager, but make no mistake, Jackson is now the man in charge.
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The hiring is big for the team and signifies a change in direction, one that isn’t just focused on winning hockey games, but keeping the best player in the world in Oilers silks for the foreseeable future. It might not be the lone reason Connor McDavid stays put, but it will certainly help. In other words, if there was a cheat code for re-signing him, Edmonton and Oilers’ owner Darryl Katz might have found it.
Jackson Wasn’t Shy About Addressing the McDavid Factor
When asked about how his hiring in Edmonton might affect McDavid’s decision to stick around, Jackson wasn’t shy about addressing the elephant in the room. McDavid, clearly the best player in the world, has three years left on his contract and there is already concern that if the Oilers don’t win a Stanley Cup, he’ll bolt for a team that will. Jackson is well aware that he’ll be graded heavily on his ability to keep McDavid in the fold.
“Who in this room doesn’t want him to be an Oiler for life?” said Jackson. He added, “Of course, I have a very close relationship with Connor, it’s going to be a different relationship now. But ultimately the goal is to keep this team, this core group together.”
That will be Jackson’s focus: keeping the core together while giving the team the best possible chance to win. Doing so won’t be easy, but it shouldn’t be as hard if McDavid and Jackson are talking daily about what it’s going to take to get the goal accomplished. And, it sounds like that process is already underway, starting with his decision to leave his hockey agency and become an NHL CEO.
Jackson Asked McDavid For His Opinion
McDavid won’t stay just because he and Jackson are close. It will happen because they are close and because the Oilers are good. And, to that end, Jackson thinks the team is on its way. “I think there’s a lot of runway for success for a number of years.”
Discussing how all of this came together, Jackson noted that he called McDavid when he was thinking about the offer the Oilers made to bring him aboard. During his media press conference on Thursday, Jackson noted, “I didn’t actually go to Connor and say, ‘I’m doing this,’” He said:
“I called him and we talked about it. It’s a unique opportunity. I don’t think I would have gone anywhere else. I was not looking to leave the agent business. I was at an awesome agency in Wasserman, great colleagues in the hockey department, great colleagues throughout that agency.”
McDavid Already Showing Signs He’s Committed
If there was any doubt about how much this move will impact McDavid’s decision-making moving forward, the Oilers’ captain is already dropping hints that this is big. Jackson said, “Connor is involved, and the team that Kenny’s put together is on the verge I think of some great things. So I talked to Connor about it and he said, ‘I think you should talk to (Oilers owner Daryl Katz). I think you’d be great at the job, so you do what you have to do, I am coming with you.’”
The fact that McDavid is saying, “I’m coming with you” and there’s a mutual understanding that these two are in it to win it together is a great sign for Oilers fans.