BLOG: Holland's media avail & Thursday content

EDMONTON, AB - The Oilers did not practice on Thursday but held a team meeting after dispatching the Ottawa Senators 7-1 on Wednesday night.
Oilers President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Ken Holland also spoke with the media.
All content from Thursday will appear below.

Head Coach Dave Tippett on the message he is sending to the Oilers at the midway mark of the season:

"The message was the first half has gone alright and now we got to get better in the second half. There are areas of our game that we like. There are areas that have to improve. We looked at the 28 games remaining, what we got left and what we have to do to continue to get better."

Coach Tippett on the depth his club has shown throughout the schedule:

"I like the depth that we have. I think it's going to be more important in the second half. It's a struggle sometimes. You've got a lot of extra guys and you'd like to get everybody involved as much as possible. Players all want to play but you're always looking for that mix. There have been some days when we look at the mix and we say, 'It's nice to have options,' and other days you get into a rhythm and those other players feel like they're not going to get a chance to get back in. That's an everyday occurrence.
"For the most part, our group has been really good together. The taxi guys have worked hard. The depth of our group is going to be really important to us. We want to keep everybody involved and it gives us options to tinker with our lineup if we want to gear it a certain way."

Tippett on the Oilers final regular-season game of '19-20 against the Winnipeg Jets and what it was like leading up to the NHL pause:

"It was a weird game because we got some of the news after the second period. I know the players were concerned about it after the second period. We got through the game and then everything happened pretty quick. When you first heard that it was just like, 'OK, how do we deal with this?' Then things happened awfully fast.
"It was a shock to everybody's system. You get going in the rhythm of a season and all of a sudden you just stop like that. That was a first for everybody. It's amazing that it was a year ago and the world has kind of changed a lot in this last year, that's for sure."

Defenceman Adam Larsson on the Oilers season so far:

"Everybody kind of knew how important the start was in a season like this. It was a special start with no pre-season games. Five games in, that's almost too early to identify your team. I think we kind of established what we are right now and are feeling good about our game right now."

Larsson on Connor Mcdavid and Leon Draisaitl's leadership:

"They're leaders on this team and take a lot of pride in doing what's best for the team. I think they really showed this year that they really want to get better defensively. So far, it's really been helping our team. We've shown this year, too, that we can close out some tight-scoring games whether it's 1-0, 3-2 or whatever it might be. That's a really good sign and they're a big part of that, too."

Larsson reflecting on the past year and having the '19-20 regular season paused last March:

"The ending to that game was a little different. A little different atmosphere in the room, I would say. When you see the NBA is closing, you kind of expected that we were leaning towards that too. That was a special, special night for sure. It's been two starts already since that happened. We're really fortunate to get to play the game of hockey right now the way the world is working. We're just fortunate to play hockey at this time of the year."

Larsson on the play of fellow defender William Lagesson:

"He's got all the tools in the world to be a really good player in this League. He's been in the minors for a little bit but he's been really working and grinding his way up here and earning a spot in the lineup. Being his partner, I'm really happy and I think with the way he plays, I like to be partnered with someone like that. The game he brings to our team is really important."