Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland has been receiving some flack these days for his commitment to his crease after the Oilers were swept by the Colorado Avalanche and average goaltending was displayed by 40-year-old starter Mike Smith.
The veteran netminder appeared in 16 games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and posted a 3.38 GAA and a .913 Sv.%. While Smith's numbers weren't horrible, they simply weren't good enough and some untimely soft goals derailed the team at key spots in the game. Holland has some work to do to land another goalie for next season and here are three to keep an eye on:
Ville Husso
The St Louis Blues netminder is set to hit the open market July 13 and is coming off an impressive season making $750,000. His next contract will be tricky but Holland should be all-in with interest. Husso was lights out during the regular season (25-7-6) and many of his wins came against Pacific division opponents, teams the Oilers will have to get through.
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There's going to be a huge market for the 27-year-old as there's plenty of teams with a need in net. The Oilers are one of the only true contenders of that list and signing Husso would certainly help their chances in 2022-23 and beyond.
Marc-Andre Fleury
If Holland wants to set the record for the oldest goalie tandem in league history he could convince Marc-Andre Fleury to sign a short-term contract in Edmonton. A chance to win the Stanley Cup could entice Fleury who has been all over the map these past few seasons. He went 9-2-0 down the stretch for the Minnesota Wild, and appeared to enjoy his time with the team.
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Money's a huge issue with the Wild this offseason as $12.7 million in dead money sits on their salary cap thanks to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter getting bought out. Holland should try and take advantage with an aggressive offer early in free agency and perhaps he ends up making an early offseason statement.
Petr Mrazek
The Toronto Maple Leafs have salary cap issues of their own and would probably accept a late-round draft pick from the Oilers to take Petr Mrazek off their hands. The 30-year-old former Red Wing, who Holland knows very well could become the perfect target.
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His $3.8 million cap hit the next two seasons isn't the worst deal in the league, but Holland would hope Mrazek could stay healthy enough to build on his 3.34 GAA from this past season. The veteran netminder is a little bit of a flight risk for some teams because of the declining numbers. We'll see if Holland has good memories from their days together in Motown.
Photo credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
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