It looks like Mike Smith’s career in the NHL is coming to an end.
Though this had been speculated for weeks, Ken Holland told reporters on Wednesday that he doesn’t expect Smith to play during the 2022-23 season.
The 40-year-old is heading into the second season of the two-year contract that he signed with the Oilers last summer. The Oilers will place Smith on the Long-Term Injured Reserve at the beginning of the season and they’ll receive a bonus to compensate for this $2.2 million salary cap hit.
Smith played three seasons in Edmonton and won 56 games and posted a .913 save percentage. He also posted a .908 save percentage across 21 playoff games for the Oilers.
Holland also added that the team will operate with a goaltending tandem of Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner while the plan is for Calvin Pickard to serve as the third-string goaltender with the Bakersfield Condors. The plan barring injury is for Campbell to play around 50 games while Skinner plays around 30 games.
Campbell inked a five-year, $25 million deal with the Oilers on Wednesday while Skinner’s impressive 13-game showing for the Oilers while Smith was injured last season has ultimately earned him an NHL gig. Pickard has played 116 games at the NHL level and has a .903 career save percentage.
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