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In No Particular Order: Koskinen, Kuzmenko, Keith, Gibson

June 13, 2022, 1:42 PM ET [41 Comments]
Sean Maloughney
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
With the Edmonton Oilers eliminated from the playoffs and the Stanley Cup Finals about to begin we are starting to get a slew of rumours, incoming signings, and other off season fun. With that being said it's time to being back "In No Particular Order" where I sound off on a variety of topics in quick succession. Grab your third morning coffee and enjoy.

KOSKINEN SIGNS IN SWITZERLAND

Mikko Koskinen, pending UFA goaltender has signed a two year deal with Lugano of the Swiss League. Koskinen was a solid backup goalie who was cursed with an albatross contract given by former GM Peter Chiarelli. If Koskinen was making 2-2.5 million no one would have an issue but with that money came the expectation that he had to play like a starter and while he could look the part in smaller bursts, he couldn't maintain that level of play which caused resentment among some fans and media personalities alike.

I wish Mikko the best and hope he finds success with his new team. Oil Country thanks you.

OILERS ONE OF THE FAVORITES FOR RUSSIAN PHENOM KUZMENKO

For a few months now the Edmonton Oilers have been linked to Russian winger Andrei Kuzmenko. The 26 year old right shooting winger just finished a solid season with 20 goals and 53 points in 45 games. As a comparable, Panarin in his last KHL season put up 26 goals and 62 points in 54 games. This isn't to say that Kuzmenko can come in and be a Panarin level of player but there is reason to at least believe he has offensive ability that can translate to the NHL. One additional piece of information is that Kuzmenko has the same agent as Evander Kane. Hopefully his agent has nice things to say about Edmonton.

It seems more and more unlikely that Edmonton is going to be able to afford Evander Kane. Kuzmenko is unproven in the NHL but would come in at a fraction of the price and could provide top six level offense. It would be a risk to bring him in and no one else but the trade off would be having more cap space to spend on other areas (defense and goaltending). Cap space is a priority need for Holland to create which leads us to....

KEITH TO RETIRE?

Just a couple weeks ago I thought there was a 0% chance that Duncan Keith was going to retire, clearing not only his 5.5 million dollar cap hit but also an addition 3+ million that Chicago would be on the hook for. While nothing is confirmed we now know that the team has asked for clarification from both Keith and Smith on their plans for next season.

Smith we have known since his post game media after Game 4 against the Avalanche that he is considering retirement. As for Keith, I don't think the report includes asking Keith about his retirement unless the team had at least some reason to believe he may choose to retire. Edmonton wants to know their plans prior the Free Agency start on July 7th so they can plan their off-season accordingly. One way or another we should know what will transpire in the next couple of weeks.

GIBSON REQUESTS TRADE

It looks like John Gibson is open to a trade now that the Ducks appear to be in full rebuild mode. Gibson is 28 years old and has five years remaining on his contract at 6.4 million. We will discuss Gibson in more details another day but for now all I will say is there is reason to love or hate this as a trade candidate.

Gibson of the past three seasons is a .900SV% goalie, allowing on average close to 3 goals a game. Prior to that he was close to a 0.920SV% netminder and thought of as one of if not the best goalie in the NHL. The question is whether or not his recent drop off is a result of his own play or simply because the Ducks over thay period have been fairly mediocre.

Edmonton's pro-scouts need to find the correct answer to this question before they try to trade for him. If Gibson can return to his old form than the Oilers will have a legitimate starter locked up for their competing window. If they trade for him and he continues to be below average they will have a very expensive anchor in the most critical position on the roster.
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