Oilers GM appears to make goaltender Mike Smith the scapegoat after being swept by Avs in WCF
The wounds are still fresh for the Edmonton Oilers, who were devastated when a controversial goal by Artturi Lehkonen ended their series and capped off a disappointing 4-game sweep at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche.
Obviously, goaltending continues to be a hot topic for the Oilers, and Mike Smith who, despite providing the Oilers with quality goaltending in rounds 1 and 2, failed to show up in the Western Conference Finals. Smith is 40 years old, but carried a .930 save percentage into the Oilers' series against the Avs. unfortunately for the Oilers, the Avalanche got to Smith early and often, seeing his save percentage drop to a .913 for the postseason.
The Oilers held a press conference on Wednesday and General Manager Ken Holland seemed to have no issue with making Smith the scapegoat for the sweep. Holland revealed that changes will be coming, due in large to the Oilers' current cap situation, but he made one specific comment that seemed to be directed at Smith:
"I don't think we have a number one goalie..."
Oilers GM Ken Holland unsure of goaltending situation ahead of offseason: https://t.co/bIAKZHNlDo #TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/tZtG9eM3sD� TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) June 8, 2022
That's certainly not going to help Smith build any confidence heading into the final season of his 2-year contract. He carries a $2.2M cap hit through next season, but has already admitted that he has pondered retirement. The next month will reveal a lot. The Oilers may just find themselves in a similar position to the Leafs, potentially looking for two goaltenders this summer.
