Oilers GM 'massively, massively, massively disappointed' by playoff elimination but plans to stay on

Ken Holland 'devastated' after Oilers loss Ken Holland addressed the media on Wednesday after the Oilers were eliminated from the playoffs. Jeremy Thompson reports.

Ken Holland made it clear he believes there's a "hell of a hockey team" assembled in Edmonton and referred to winning a Stanley Cup in the Alberta capital as "unfinished business" for him.

The Oilers were eliminated from the playoffs on home ice Sunday night in a 5-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

"I've got an empty feeling. I think anytime you feel that your team can go on a playoff run but you don't go to the end, you're disappointed," Holland said Wednesday.

"[The results are] not good enough. The goal is to win the Stanley Cup and when you don't win the Stanley Cup, it's a disappointing year."

Holland said his players are "devastated," he knows the fans feel the same and said he is personally "massively, massively, massively disappointed."

With the top two scorers in the NHL and a record of 14-0-1 heading into the postseason, the Oilers were among the favourites to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1990.

Edmonton beat the L.A. Kings 4-2 in the first round but fell 4-2 to Vegas in the second.

"We're gonna get up off the mat here and we're going to get back at it in September and we're going to try to put ourselves back in the same position that we were this year in the playoffs, feeling good and believing, and we're gonna try again," Holland said.

The general manager, who won four Stanley Cups in Detroit, pointed out that the Red Wings suffered some devastating playoff losses in the 15 years before, after and between those championships.

Holland is entering the final season of his five-year contract and said he expects to keep running the team at least until his deal is up after next year.

He said the "key pieces are here" but he plans to make "tweaks" to the Oilers roster.

Most of Edmonton's top players are signed to contracts for next year and beyond, with the exception of defenceman Evan Bouchard.

After a slow start to his year, the restricted free agent blossomed late in the season and recorded 17 points in 12 playoff games. Bouchard's base salary was $832,500.

"He's getting a raise. There's no doubt he's getting a raise," Holland said.

"I don't know if it's a bridge [contract] or not, I've got to talk to his agent…we'll find a solution."

Forwards Derek Ryan, Mattias Janmark, Nick Bjugstad and Devin Shore are unrestricted free agents.

Ryan McLeod and Klim Kostin are both restricted free agents with arbitration rights.

Head coach Jay Woodcroft also spoke to reporters and stated that although his team had a lead in every game, there were "moments" of the Vegas series where the team needed better results.

He said the coaching staff will "self-assess every aspect" of the series against the Golden Knights to prepare for next year.