To say Mikko Koskinen’s received his fair share of criticism since joining the Edmonton Oilers would be a major understatement.
The now 33-year-old Edmonton Oilers netminder was unknown to most when initially signed to a one-year deal by former general manager Peter Chiarelli, having played in only four NHL games nearly a decade ago with the New York Islanders.
His first season in Edmonton actually started out quite well, and as a result, saw the team ship their former number one in Cam Talbot to the Philadelphia Flyers. Shortly before that trade, however, Koskinen agreed to a very controversial three-year, $13.5 million extension with the Oilers. As mentioned, he had played well to start the season, but it seemed like an awful lot to commit to a goalie who was still quite unproven at the NHL level.
Shortly after signing the extension, Koskinen’s play fell dramatically and he ended the season with a subpar 2.93 goals-against average (GAA) along with a .906 save percentage (SV%). As a result of his play trending downward paired with the lucrative extension, he faced much criticism from both fans and media during the 2019 offseason as not many believed he was capable of being a number one goalie.
Despite the heaping criticism, Koskinen was able to put together a solid 2019-20 season. In fact, it is one that probably should have earned him more credit from both pundits and the fans. In the pandemic shortened season he posted a 2.75 GAA along with a .917 SV%. These numbers were far better than his goaltending partner in Mike Smith who had just a 2.95 GAA and a .902 SV%.
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In fact, not only were his numbers significantly better than Smith’s, but they were better than plenty of other netminders that season. In 2019-20, the league average GAA was 2.82, while the average SV% was .910, a number which Koskinen was well ahead of. Unfortunately, a shaky series versus the Chicago Blackhawks in the play-in round was enough for fans to forget what was an impressive regular season.
Once again, Koskinen faced much disproval during the 2020 offseason, and most suggested either trading him or buying him out to find a more competent starting goalie. An off 2020-21 season in which he posted an ugly 3.17 GAA and a .899 SV% has now only made things worse. Despite the outside noise, however, general manager Ken Holland appears to once again be moving forward with a Smith-Koskinen tandem.
This decision by Holland wasn’t exactly by choice, as the Oilers were rumored to be very involved in the Darcy Kuemper sweepstakes, though the Colorado Avalanche were willing to give up more valuable assets in the end. Despite the majority of Edmonton’s fan base being quite upset about the thought of having Koskinen back, it may not be the worst decision.
Throughout Koskinen’s three seasons in Edmonton, he has shown at times, typically when given split starts, that he can be an above-average goaltender in the NHL. The problem with him tends to be when he is given the starter role. This happened to begin last season when Smith was out with injury, as Koskinen really struggled prior to his counterparts’ return and was never able to regain his confidence after the poor start.
Both hoping and assuming Smith doesn’t miss time due to injury this season, Koskinen will likely once again split starts with the 39-year-old. This could be all it takes for him to get back to his 2019-20 season level of play, which would be extremely beneficial for the Oilers.
There will still be criticism surrounding Koskinen and his contract regardless of how he plays, and for fair reason. A goalie making $4.5 million per season should be capable of handling a starter’s workload, which he has not been able to do. It is important to remember however that all he did was accept the money offered at him, as any of us would do in the same situation. Cap hit aside, a bounce-back is certainly possible here given what he has shown in the past and would be fantastic for both him and the team for what is very likely to be his last season as an Oiler.