Oilers targeting one of two former Flames goalies in free agency?

With Ken Holland and Dave Tippett now running the show in northern Alberta, expect some big changes from the Edmonton Oilers this offseason. 

Holland has already begun the process of cleaning out the team’s front office and will likely turn his focus to the ice once the offseason begins in earnest later this month. One area that he’ll need to pay close attention to is in goal. The Oilers have just one goaltender, Mikko Koskinen, signed for the 2019-20 season so Holland will either need to sign a capable backup or promote one of the team’s young prospects. 

Two interesting candidates on the free agent front, at least according to Oilers insider Jason Gregor of TSN1260 and OilersNation.com, are former Calgary Flames net minders Mike Smith and Brian Elliott. Smith, of course, is still with the Flames but is expected to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. Elliott played just 26 games for the Philadelphia Flyers last season and will also become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.

It remains to be seen what the Flames ultimately do with Smith, but it’s worth noting that they also need to re-sign pending RFA David Rittich. So, while the Oilers have some work to do in goal, the Flames have even more to sort out between the pipes. There’s an interesting dynamic in play between the two rivals when it comes to the goaltending position and there’s a possibility that the Battle of Alberta could get even more hostile in 2019-20 should the Oilers manage to pry Smith away from the Flames.