Ken Holland explains decision to sign Jake Virtanen to PTO
After plenty of speculation, the Edmonton Oilers announced on Monday that they have signed forward Jake Virtanen to a professional tryout offer (PTO).
This move was met with plenty of scrutiny, as Virtanen was accused of an alleged sexual assault during the 2019-20 season, one that resulted in the Vancouver Canucks placing him on leave. This summer, he was found not guilty in court, and as a result had received interest from a number of NHL teams in recent weeks. Despite the not guilty verdict, however, many still believe he shouldn't be given this opportunity, and were quick to chastise Ken Holland for the transaction. The Oilers general manager attempted to explain his thought process on the move when speaking with media Monday afternoon.
Whether fair or not, the Oilers have gained themselves a negative reputation in some individuals minds, as they also brought in Evander Kane last season who had several ongoing issues at the time. As Holland said, however, Virtanen was found not guilty, so perhaps this opportunity is justified. Whether or not he is able to capitalize on it and earn himself a contract remains to be seen.
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HIER
18 MAI 2026
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| B | P | PTS | ||
| Zachary Bolduc | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Phillip Danault | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Greenway | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Kaiden Guhle | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Beck Malenstyn | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan McLeod | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Owen Power | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Suzuki | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alexandre Texier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zach Benson | - | - | - | |
| Bowen Byram | - | - | - | |
| Cole Caufield | - | - | - | |
| Kirby Dach | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Demidov | - | - | - | |
| STATS COMPLÈTES | ||||