July 22: PuckPedia reports that the Oilers have signed Smith to a two-year, $4.4MM contract. The deal will pay the veteran netminder $1.9MM in 2021-22 and $2.5MM in 2022-23. GM Ken Holland confirmed the deal in his press availability, though it has not yet been officially announced by the team.
July 21: The Edmonton Oilers may have lost their 28-year-old shutdown defenseman today, but they won’t be losing their 39-year-old goaltender. Patrick Johnston of the Province tweets that Mike Smith will return to the Oilers on a multi-year deal. As Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic adds, teams can’t actually re-sign their own free agents until the transaction freeze lifts tomorrow, but there are “positive signs” between Smith and Edmonton. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that the deal is expected to be for two years and carry an average annual value around $2MM.
Smith had one of the best seasons of his career in 2020-21, posting a .923 save percentage in 32 appearances for the Oilers and finishing seventh in Vezina Trophy voting. The veteran goaltender, who has now made 600 regular season starts over a 15-year career, hadn’t had that kind of performance since the 2011-12 season, when he led the Pheonix Coyotes to the Western Conference Finals. It’s hard to expect him to repeat that level of play on this new deal, but Smith at least represents a strong locker room presence and reliable option, even if he’s not at a Vezina-level in 2021-22.
Still, this will feel like a step backward for many Oilers fans, who are hoping for improvements this summer. The team re-signed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to an eight-year deal, but are about to lose Adam Larsson to the Seattle Kraken. A buyout of Mikko Koskinen would clear some cap room, as will Oscar Klefbom staying on long-term injured reserve. But it’s not like GM Ken Holland has a ton of space to work with if he wants to take the next step forward.
In fact, if the team does buy out Koskinen, it seems unlikely that the team will be able to really afford a counterpart for Smith, at least not one that carries a high cap hit. The team does already have Alex Stalock under contract at $750K, who could serve as a fine backup, but that would be putting a lot of pressure on Smith to carry the load. With the defensive depth lacking and an upgrade needed to help Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl up front, things are getting tricky in Edmonton.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Are they actively trying to not win the cup?
They’ve been actively trying not to win a cup since they sold Gretzky. Then messier proved them wrong and they had to dump him too. Some how that fantastic rag-tag group in 2006 nearly foiled Edmonton’s plans but Bergeron helped by talking Rollie out. Someone in Oil Country is trying to challenge the Leafs with who can go the longest without a cup..they’ve got a bit of a head start but we keep making the right decisions to keep us in that game.
Is Holland doing a worse job than Chiarelli?
Aside from the Tippett hire, he really might be.
Smith and cheap backup doesn’t win you a Cup or get you even close, so…why bother? Wasting another year of McDavid and Draisital with goaltending that has no chance of winning is malfeasance.
@forwhomjoshbelltolled – Smith was not intended to be the number one, but Koskinen’s play mandated it. They’ve been trying to get rid of him, but the rest of the league hasn’t proven to be that dumb, yet (not even Stan!). And, playing in EDM, even with #97 & #29, isn’t enough of a draw for the players they’re trying to get. Getting AA, Green, and Barrie were bad moves, straight away, but Holland can’t make up for those when few high-quality players have much interest in going there. Barrie still can’t defend a dead guy. And, I think that some players ask themselves, “Why would I go there and lose, mostly due to the suspect netminding and referee belligerence not calling penalties legitimately drawn by the big guns, i.e. fewer PPs?”
Holland is a bad GM plain and simple!! im done with this team
He would still need to give Hyman 8-years to serve as his Lucic as well as make his version of the Hall trade. But he is certainly trending in that direction!
Likewise of Dougie Wilson in San Jose,
@The Mistake of Giving Eugene Melnyk a Liver Transplant – It gives you a headache, just to think it’s becoming more probability than possibility, eh?
@G – I hope your avatar there doesn’t represent the sun setting on Ken’s career, since it’s not looking real good about now…
Hope you’re doing, well, BTW!
LOL Mac , I think it set long time ago on Holland, feel a storm coming on especially on 8 year deal for Hyman maybe $40 Million dah! Good player , thou to long for 29 year old . All good here
Fire Holland.
Hollands latest drinking buddy. The older the player the better seems to be his mindset.
I assume they only expect Smith to play one more season, retire, and get some sexxi cap credit on this backloaded deal. Idk why GMs don’t try to do it more.
It’s like EDM is torturing McDavid. Might as well let Smith be the starter.
Over or under 2.5 full seasons before McDavid wants out?