June 13: With the Edmonton Oilers now out of the playoffs and their season over, it’s now confirmed that Koskinen will be heading to Switzerland next season. HC Lugano has signed the veteran netminder to a two-year contract, keeping him in Switzerland until age 35. Koskinen joins a Lugano team with Carolina reserve list defenseman Oliwer Kaski, former NHLers Mirco Mueller, Mark Arcobello and Daniel Carr, as well as Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Calvin Thurkauf.
May 20: Despite currently serving as the backup for the Edmonton Oilers and even seeing game action in Game 1 of the Second Round, there appears to already be some clarity on goalie Mikko Koskinen’s future for next season. Former NHL head coach Bob Hartley spoke today, saying that Koskinen has already accepted an offer to play for HC Lugano in the Swiss National League next season.
If true, it will likely mark the end of Koskinen’s second and final stint in North America. The Finnish netminder, drafted 31st overall by the New York Islanders in 2009, had one stint in North America from 2009-2012 in the Islanders organization, playing in four NHL games. He returned to the NHL as a free agent with Edmonton in 2018, serving as a solid tandem netminder for them for the past four seasons. As uncertainty mounts in the Oilers crease moving forward, though, it looks like Koskinen has opted to take himself out of the picture for their second goalie next season.
40-year-old Mike Smith is (somehow) still under contract with the team for next season, and they do have a solid internal option in Stuart Skinner as the backup. However, with such a gigantic question mark with Smith as a 41-year-old starter, Edmonton will surely attempt to make a significant acquisition in free agency to shore up the crease.
Fleury
Fluery either goes back to the Wild or returns to the Penguins.
If Price’s knees hold up he would be good for a team like EDM. Play 45 games a year and the playoffs with the weapons they have would be amazing. They would have to include another team to get prices hit down to around 2.65, I don’t think they can fit 5.25
On paper Price would look great in edm, I agree. But where are you getting that 5.25 from? And what are they sending back? I thought Price’s cap hit is like 10.5. And who knows if he even exists anymore. Edm doesn’t have space for that.
the colour guy on sports net just said pretty much the exact same thing mike milbury got fire for
paraphrasing: oilers have an easier time on the road because no family
#bringbackcherry #bringbackmilbury
Not having family with them is different than inferring there are no attractive women to distract them in a city. Either way, there is no place for it in broadcast journalism. Report the game you are broadcasting, not opinions of the city. Chris Pronger and his wife probably have a different opinion than the sportsnet guy you mention @OrrBourqueshore.
Smith wins game 2 in Calgary at 40years old in the 2nd round (two shutouts in the first round) and all the media wants to do is decide his fate for him and the Oilers
Smith let in 2 extremely soft goals within 6 minutes of game 1 and 2 more in game 2 and you wonder why fans and media are running him out of town?
Said an Oilers fan.
Mrazek! LOL
Fleury would be an interesting fit in Edmonton, no error. But they can’t possibly afford him.
Carey Price? Now that’s smoking whacky weed. Other than for 17 playoff games last season — and we all saw how the clock struck midnight on him in the Finals — Price has had exactly one season in the last FIVE where he was as good as league average. His days as an elite stopper are long, long behind him, even if the Fairy Godmother fixed his knees tomorrow. He’s being paid more than any other goalie in hockey, he’s due to get $10.5/per for four more seasons, and his performance hasn’t been worth as much as half that salary since 2017. Imagining he’s the solution to any team’s problems is a hallucination.
And this is a team with a bunch of guys to sign. They have $8 million in cap space. They have Yamamoto to sign. They have Puljujarvi to sign. They have Kulak to sign. They have to decide whether to keep Kane or not, and if they do, he’s going to want to get paid. I don’t think they’ve got the luxury to go after any one at all in net, beyond a million.
If price goes anywhere it’s closer to home Van city or Seattle would be good..
Send bobrovski from the panthers to the oil.
How would you make that money work?
Bob to Buff 25% retained… Bob to Ottawa 1/3 retained… Bob to Arizona 25% retained… Bob to Edmonton at 3.75M for all their 1sts and any prospects of value + Yamamoto and JP + more 2nds.
And somehow convince him to waive his NMC…
AKA) Never gonna happen.