Edmonton Oilers: Three reasons to not re-sign Mike Smith
The Edmonton Oilers have some tough decisions on their hands this off-season.
After the Ryan Nugent-Hopkins contract extension, the Edmonton Oilers have about 16 million in cap space for next season according to CapFriendly. While that might seem like enough to get everyone under contract, the Oilers still have a number of deals they need to work out.
The Edmonton Oilers have a lot of roster spots they need to figure out for next season, but none are more important than the goaltending position. Right now the team has Alex Stalock and Mikko Koskinen under contract for next season.
Koskinen has a 4.5 million dollar cap hit and is costing the team a lot of money. So now the question is what do the Oilers do in net with Mike Smith currently without a contract.
Smith made 1.5 million last season, a great price for a goaltender of his caliber. He was one of the best parts of the team throughout the season and into the postseason, but still here are three reasons why the team should let him go this off-season.
1. There are better goalies out there
Linus Ullmark is a free agent this off-season. While I like Mike Smith, to put it simply, there are better goalies out there. Smith is 39 years old and is not going to be with the Oilers for that much longer. While I understand wanting to just put a band-aid on the issue for later down the line, keeping Smith would not be a long-term solution. This brings me to a goalie like Linus Ullmark.
Ullmark is 27 years old and is coming off a contract that was 2.6 million with the Buffalo Sabres. Ullmark played in 20 games this past season with the Buffalo Sabres and posted a .917 save percentage and a 2.63 goals-against average.
Only Mike Smith had better numbers in Edmonton last season, but keep in mind last season was a really good bounce-back year for Smith. Ullmark managed to put up some pretty good numbers in Buffalo, and that fact alone should make him an easy sign for any team in the league.
2. What does the future hold?
Nugent-Hopkins just signed a long-term deal with the Oilers. Ken Holland is trying to build a team that can win, and having a 39-year-old goalie is not going to get you there.
Edmonton is not trying to win just one cup next season, they are in the height of the team’s structure, now is the time to win now for years to come.
If the championship window is the next five or so seasons, having a goalie that might be around for at best two of those years is not a recipe for success.
I like Mike Smith but it cannot be ignored that just two seasons ago he posted below-average numbers and while this past season was one of his best in his career, it was just one year.
Edmonton can not give him two or three million for one season and bank on him showing up for them throughout the grind of a full 82 game season.
3. Age is a real factor here
If Mike Smith were to re-sign and play another season with the Oilers, they would be banking on him leading them through the postseason. Well, how have 40-year-old goalies done in the past in the postseason?
Since 2010, only three goalies have played in the postseason at or past the age of 40. They are Tim Thomas, Martin Brodeur, and Dwayne Roloson.
Dwayne Roloson played in 17 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2011. He posted a 2.51 goals-against average in that time. Martin Brodeur went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012 with the New Jersey Devils but it is important to note that he missed a few games as he only played in 14 through the entire postseason.
Tim Thomas on the other hand played in one game in 2014 posting a 4.1 goals-against average during that time. None of those three guys won the cup during their season in the postseason.
While Mike Smith did have a great season, goaltending is an important position in the playoffs. We have seen Edmonton lose series in the past due to running into a hot goalie, now is the time they go out and find their own goalie to steal games for them.