Edmonton Oilers: Three reasons to not re-sign Mike Smith

Mike Smith #41, Edmonton Oilers Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Smith #41, Edmonton Oilers Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports
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Linus Ullmark #35
Linus Ullmark #35 Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

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.