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What Are the Odds the Oilers Bring Back Mike Smith?

Reports are that Oilers GM Ken Holland is more-than prepared to bring back Mike Smith as a goaltender next season.

While there will a ton of goaltending options on the open market this offseason and the Edmonton Oilers will surely look at a few of them, a recent report by Mark Spector of Sportsnet notes that the Oilers would have no qualms about bringing back 38-year-old veteran Mike Smith.

Spector made the following statement Sunday in regards to Smith’s future with the Oilers:

Holland may choose someone younger if the right goalie becomes available, but would be comfortable bringing Smith back as well. Stay tuned.

For fans hoping the Oilers intended to move on, this isn’t great news.

This is the first time anyone inside the team or close to it has discussed Smith’s possible return to the team and it will come as a bit of a surprise considering just how many rumors were out there that the Oilers would be looking to move on. There has been talk of so many strong free agent netminders possibly having a hard time finding work, it didn’t seem logical the team wouldn’t look to improve.

To be fair, the Oilers still might do so. But, should they not, it won’t be the end of the world or mean a lottery-like season will follow.

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Smith Was Not As Bad As Some Suggest

The easy thing to do after an early elimination from the play-in round against a lower-seeded team is blame the goaltending. After all, the tandem of Koskinen and Smith didn’t provide the stops Edmonton needed. But, Smith has taken the brunt of the criticism and it’s probably not fair.

He didn’t have a good Game 1. At the same time, the loss wasn’t his fault. No Oilers had a good game, sans perhaps Connor McDavid.

And, over the course of the 2019-20 NHL season, it’s not that Smith was bad. In fact, at times, he was pretty good and head coach Dave Tippet found a way to get the best of the combination of starters during the regular season. Smith brings experience and leadership to a position where Koskinen lacks it.

Why This Report Now?

The question now becomes, is this news floating out there because the Oilers are thinking they might not have the money to upgrade their goaltending? Perhaps Holland’s comments mean very little in the grande scheme of his overall plan. Perhaps they mean a lot.

It wasn’t expected the Oilers would trade for a Frederik Andersen or Marc-Andre Fleury. And, reports from Pierre LeBrun that the team might have eyes on Robin Lehner or Jacob Markstrom were longshots at best. Still, the Oilers have an opportunity to find a suitable 1B that can be with the team for a while and really push Mikko Koskinen. One would hope they seize it.

Next: Rangers Preparing to Buy Out Henrik Lundqvist [Report]

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