Holland expects Oilers to use 2-goalie system again next season
Mikko Koskinen is the only goalie on the Edmonton Oilers' roster who's signed for next season, but he likely won't be tasked with handling No. 1 duties in 2020-21.
Oilers general manager Ken Holland said Saturday he expects Koskinen will again split playing time in the crease next season.
"If you look around the league, it's really a two-goaltender league," Holland told The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman. "We were almost 50-50 (in terms of starts percentage between Koskinen and Mike Smith). It's a small list of guys who were on pace to play over 60 games.
"It looks like it's gonna be a condensed schedule. You're gonna have more back-to-backs. You factor the travel that we do in Edmonton, the road trips that we go on, I anticipate that we're gonna have a two-goalie system."
Koskinen played in 38 games this season and the veteran Smith appeared in 39. Smith is a pending unrestricted free agent, while Koskinen is signed for two more seasons with an average annual value of $4.5 million.
| Stat | Koskinen | Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Rec. | 18-13-3 | 19-12-6 |
| SV% | .917 | .902 |
| GAA | 2.75 | 2.95 |
| GSAA | 9.25 | -7.71 |
Holland is open to the idea of re-signing Smith.
"We have not ruled it out," he said, adding that he hasn't spoken to any of his players' representatives.
If the Oilers choose to go in a different direction, there will be plenty of options at Holland's disposal. Robin Lehner, Braden Holtby, Anton Khudobin, and Thomas Greiss are just some of the players who highlight a UFA goalie class that has a little bit of everything.
Additionally, the 2021 Seattle expansion draft could create more movement in the goaltending trade market, as each team can protect only one netminder.
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford already said he'll likely trade either Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry this offseason. Frederik Andersen of the Toronto Maple Leafs is also reportedly on the trade block.
Even with just over $11 million in projected cap space before re-signing any RFAs (Ethan Bear, Andreas Athanasiou, Matt Benning) or UFAs (Tyler Ennis, Riley Sheahan), according to CapFriendly, it doesn't seem likely Edmonton will go the internal route in goal, as Stuart Skinner and Shane Starrett have no NHL experience and didn't exactly shine in the AHL last year.