It isn’t July 1st just yet, but we’re already seeing some tentative free agent signings begin to flood in. According to Frank Seravalli, the Oilers will be inking veteran goalie Mike Smith to form a goaltending tandem with Mikko Koskinen next year.
Veteran goalie Mike Smith has chosen the #Oilers. He’s more or less trading places with Cam Talbot, who as we hinted on Monday, is heading to the #Flames.
More on what that means for Lehner, Mrazek, and the rest of the goalie market on @SportsCentre at 6pm ET.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 30, 2019
The 37-year-old Smith, who has been in the league for 13 years, had the worst season of his career last year, posting a .898 save percentage with the Calgary Flames. While his regular season was poor, Smith did have a strong showing for the Flames in the playoffs, albeit in a limited sample size. Smith posted a .917 save percentage for the Flames in the playoffs despite the team getting shocked by the Colorado Avalanche in eight games.
New head coach Dave Tippett is certainly familiar with Smith, as the two worked together for multiple years with the Arizona Coyotes. Smith played a key role in the Coyotes’ surprising run to the Western Conference Final under Tippett back in 2011, posting a .930 save percentage during the regular season and a .944 save percentage in the playoffs.
The play with Smith here seems to be buying low and hoping for a rebound season. Smith posted a .915 save percentage at 5-on-5 from the middle of January to the end of the regular season last year and, as I said above, played quite well in the playoffs. I imagine this will be a cheap, one-year deal, which will give the Oilers a little more wiggle room to add some much-needed depth up front with their limited salary cap space. According to Seravalli, it’ll be a one-year deal in the ballpark of $2 million.
At 37 years of age, banking on a rebound for Smith is a pretty big gamble. Hopefully it works out and Smith is more the goalie he was in the second of last season rather than the first half.
You can’t make the playoffs with two backup goalies. And that is what the Oilers have right now. Tick tock, tick tock…
Bung go drink some lighter fluid and do us all a favor
Why? Because you don’t like hearing the truth?
Because your a negative jerk that does nothing but complain.
Oil management make it easy. Piling on those playoff wins with the greatest player in the world…no wait? What? Too many fans in loser denial.
If you don’t like it don’t come here. Simple.
When you’re already committing $4.5 million to a goalie that hasn’t proven himself it’s hard to sign another goalie to same or more money when you’re not absolutely sure how he’ll perform and the cap situation as it is, so go cheap this year. Maybe a better option will present itself down the road. Smith isn’t optimal but on a one year I’m cool with it.
Agreed
Correy perry to dallas
I hope so, I don’t want him here.
Thank God it is not the Oil.
Actually agree with you on that
Yeah I sure wouldn’t want to add some cheap proven scoring. Thats what winning teams do. Lets just keep paying Reiders and Brodiaks and Spooners and Colby Caves ok?
Settle down Nancy’s, if Smith plays as well as he did for Calgary in the playoffs that a huge upgrade so sit your asses down and chill.
I agree. Peanut butter is all good. But no way it should be mixed with chocolate.
If Smith hits his bonus that likely means Oilers are in the playoffs; that is a fine gamble in my books. Hopefully, he can in-part some “big guy to big guy” wisdom to Koskinen!!! Like “your glove hand stays UP to catch the fu$% puck with”
He was beginning to fade in that series and it only went five games.
What I would love to know is the process by which this decision was made.
Was it Tippett singing his praises from years ago? Or holland watching highlights of his play in the playoffs?
Or did they actually have a group of goalie scouts study him and the other options in depth and make reasoned arguments for signing him over others?
I doubt it’s the last one.
Maybe they made a mistake by not consulting you or Alex. You two seem to have so much more knowledge and wisdom. We re all envious. Whatever you do don’t stop enlightening us with what they should have done, what they should do and how you two know so much more than Ken Holland.
So you don’t care about how they made this decision? That the old ways of doing things may also be the current ones?
Then if this org fails yet again you and others like you are enablers. (Yet again)
The bottom line is he is gonna be here so quit whining. 2 ml is fine by me and if he hits his bonuses well that’s a bonus.
TSN’s Seravalli reporting that the Stars will sign Corey Perry for 1.5 … the Oil dodge a bullet … ?
Plus the potential for 1.5-2.0 worth of bonuses … Perry wants to win & there is undeniably a better chance to do that with the Stars who near took out the Blues in those recent playoffs …
Smith handles the puck better than any goalie in the league so hes Like having a another dman out there
Just imagine him flinging the puck up to Conner and Leon for 2 on 1s. Just settle down and deal with it.
Smith is a great puck handler, his stick handling will allow the Oilers to spend less time in their own zone.
Koskinen is going to have a big year as well.
Lets get Nyquist, and Tanev tomorrow and than look at the trade market.
Mike Smith has just become the Coilers best puckhandling defenceman
Lol.
flamers lose their toughest player.
😂🤣
I guess the Oilers don’t expect either of their goalies to carry a full workload. At 37 it may not be a bad thing if the two goalies alternate games.
Ha ha ha ha ha….. you guys are so awesome. Enjoy early golf season again next year. 👍 Ever think you’re going to make playoffs again?
Lames trolls have been out celebrating and banging them back and here they are….
Do you think you will ever win a playoff game again? No…🤔
Taking a night off from dating your sister to share the product of your 2 digit IQ here at ON? That’s so special
Talbot doesn’t look so bad now hey Oilersnation 😂😂😂
it’ll be fun putting pucks past him every time he goes on his knees just like opposing teams did the last couple of years Talbot was here !
I sure hope you don’t get redemption.
Talbot looks terrible. One good year and how many times did he give up a goal on the first shot.
“New Heas Coach Dave Tippet certainly has some familairity with Smith”
So we’re signing an old, injury prone, past his prime goalie based on the fact that he used to play for the head coach.
This organization DESERVES every ounce of failure they get
We deserve to never have you post again!!