Ken Holland's first task as general manager of the Edmonton Oilers is to find a head coach, but that hasn't stopped him from eyeing possible improvements to his roster - specifically between the pipes - when free agency begins July 1.
"Many teams have two goalies now," Holland told TSN1260's Jason Gregor on Wednesday. "I'd like a goalie who could play 30-to-35 games and they challenge and push each other. Ideally, I'd like one who has pro experience. I will talk to teams, but right now we likely will find one in free agency."
Mikko Koskinen is the only netminder on Edmonton's roster with a contract for next season. Just two days before his dismissal, former GM Peter Chiarelli signed Koskinen to a three-year extension with a $4.5-million cap hit. After arriving back in North America on the heels of a successful KHL stint, the 30-year-old posted a .906 save percentage and a 2.93 goals-against average in 55 games.
With interim GM Keith Gretzky running the show, the Oilers traded Cam Talbot to the Philadelphia Flyers for fellow goaltender Anthony Stolarz. Stolarz started just two games for the Oilers upon his arrival and is a Group 6 unrestricted free agent this summer.
The free-agent goaltending class this summer is headlined by Sergei Bobrovsky and Vezina Trophy nominee Robin Lehner, both of whom are expected to be out of the cap-strapped Oilers' price range.
Here are the other top options, ranked in order by their save percentage last season:
Goalie | Team | Age | GP | GAA | SV% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Petr Mrazek | CAR | 27 | 40 | 2.39 | .914 |
Curtis McElhinney | CAR | 36 | 32 | 2.57 | .912 |
Ryan Miller | ANA | 38 | 20 | 2.76 | .912 |
Semyon Varlamov | COL | 31 | 48 | 2.85 | .910 |
Anders Nilsson | OTT | 29 | 35 | 2.98 | .908 |
Brian Elliott | PHI | 34 | 26 | 2.96 | .907 |
Mike Smith | CGY | 37 | 41 | 2.72 | .898 |
The Oilers project to have roughly $12 million in cap space for next year.
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