When McDavid gets to Edmonton, he'll be greeted by Holland, who is in his first year as GM, new coach Dave Tippett and new teammates, including former Calgary Flames forward James Neal and goalie Mike Smith.
Holland was hired as GM on May 7 after holding the same position with the Detroit Red Wings for 22 seasons. Two weeks after Holland joined the Oilers, Edmonton hired Tippett to replace Ken Hitchcock, who took over for Todd McLellan 21 games into last season.
"My initial reaction (to Holland's hiring) was excitement," McDavid said. "It's someone that's been in the League for a long time. He's put together some great teams, those Detroit dynasties."
McDavid admitted his feelings were mixed upon learning that forward Milan Lucic, a teammate the past three seasons, was traded to the Flames for Neal on July 19.
"Obviously disappointing to see [Lucic] go," he said. "He was someone that I got close with on the team. Great guy. Great family as well. I'm definitely going to miss them."
Neal has 270 goals in 12 NHL seasons but scored seven for the Flames last season after signing with them as a free agent.
"Neal has got a lot of upside," McDavid said. "He's a guy who's won a lot in this league, he's scored a lot in this league. Obviously a down year last year. But he's training up at Gary (Roberts'), and he's working as hard as I've ever seen him work."
McDavid was a finalist for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP last season after he had an NHL career-high 116 points (41 goals, 75 assists), second to Hart winner Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning (128 points). He said he'd gladly give up those individual accolades for team success with the Oilers.
"The personal stuff is great and all that, (but) you want to win hockey games," he said. "You want to be in the playoffs.
"I'm looking forward to [the season]. There should be a lot of competition. We're starting new with a new coach, a new GM. It's a new situation for everyone."