Three realistic options for Edmonton Oilers replacement for Mike Smith

Despite it being a magical run, the season for the Edmonton Oilers is officially over after being swept last night at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche. For the Oilers, it was the farthest they've advanced in the postseason since the memorable 2006 campaign. 

However, there will be plenty of speculation as to how much farther Edmonton could have advanced had they received better goaltending. For whatever reason, GM Ken Holland elected not to shore up his team's crease, and instead decided to roll with 40 year-old Mike Smith in net for the postseason. With a 3.37 goals against average, it certainly wasn't the best goaltending performance that we've seen in recent years from Smith. 

The man himself sounded anything but committal for next year, despite being under contract through 2023. And should Smith ultimately decide to hang up the pads this summer, Holland isn't likely to try and promote Mikko Koskinen to the starter's role. Take a look at three options below that Holland could consider bringing aboard. 

1. Casey DeSmith

The Penguins backup net minder posted an 11-6-5 record during the 2021-22 season and was Pittsburgh's starter headed into the 2022 postseason thanks to an injury to Tristan Jarry, though he would soon injure himself and elect to undergo core muscle surgery. His cap hit this year was a reasonable $1.25 million. 

2. Jaroslav Halak 

The veteran goaltender is well traveled, having suited up for the likes of Montreal, St. Louis, Boston, the New York Islanders, and Vancouver over the past several seasons. He's only 15 wins away from 300 in his career. 

3. Ville Husso

The Blues goaltender stepped in for Jordan Binnington during the regular season and excelled, and was even named the starter for St. Louis at the beginning of the 2022 postseason. While Binnington would find his way back into the crease, it was Husso taking the reigns the rest of the way after the former was injured in a collision with Nazem Kadri.