Mike Smith counters Oilers’ contract offer: could lead to buyout and trade!

​A lot happening in Edmonton!

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 2 years ago
Mike Smith counters Oilers’ contract offer: could lead to buyout and trade!
Zuma Press

After signing forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to a long-term contract extension back in June, the Edmonton Oilers currently have about 16 million in cap space for next season according to CapFriendly. However, the Oilers still have a number of deals they need to work out and it sounds like one player might be giving them a hard time. 

It has been reported that contract negotiations between the Oilers and veteran goalie Mike Smith are ongoing. As reported by David Pagnotta of The Fourth period, an offer has been tabled by the Oilers, but Smith’s camp is expected to counter. 

On top of that, Pagnotta is hearing that general manager Ken Holland has been exploring the goalie trade market, “which may have more to do with a possible Mikko Koskinen buyout.”

Koskinen’s name was mentioned in the past weeks as a potential buyout option in Edmonton. He has a 4.5 million dollar cap hit and is costing the team a lot of money. 

Buying out Koskinen would save the Oilers $3 million this season, but comes with a $1.5 million penalty the year after that. If they were to just hold onto him for another year they could bury him in the minors, save just over $1 million, and then they’d be out of the deal by next offseason.

With Smith currently without a contract, and reportedly countering the Oilers’ offer, Holland has to be wondering what to do in between the pipes to make sure his roster is ready to counter much longer than this spring and have something good to present to all-star captain Connor McDavid. 

Smith made 1.5 million last season, a great price for the veteran goaltender. He managed to keep his head above water, but the Oilers have to keep in mind that age is a factor here. Smith turned 39 in March. 

If Smith’s counter offer does not make sense to the Oilers, and especially Holland’s wallet, the GM will need to realize there are better goalies out there that could be available on the trade or free agency market. 

Make the right move, Holland.