Goalie Mikko Koskinen to leave the Oilers

Edmonton Oilers backup goalie Mikko Koskinen got to see his first playoff action on Wednesday night when starter Mike Smith was chased out of his crease by the Calgary Flames in the first period of Game 1 of the Battle of Alberta.

The game ended 9-6 for the Flames and despite Smith’s shaky start - he let in three goals on just 10 shots - Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft confirmed that he would get be in between the pipes to kick off Game 2 on Friday.

That means Koskinen returns on the bench and that might be where we last see him this postseason, especially in an Oilers’ uniform. Chatter grows louder that Koskinen likely move to Switzerland and play for HC Lugano coming season.

According to Swiss Hockey News, the 33-year-old netminder, who’s played for Edmonton since 2018 and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, is hoping to return closer to home, per Waton’s Klaus Zaugg.

The goalie started off his NHL career with the New York Islanders, who selected him in the second round, 31st overall back in 2009. He was part of the Islanders from 2009 to 2012, where he put up his best save percentage, .917 in the 2019-20 season.

In between his two NHL adventures, Koskinen played in his home country (KalPa and the Espoo Blues) as well as in the KHL (Sibir Novosibirsk and SKA St. Petersburg).

And signs point to Koskinen looking to return to Europe again, and this time maybe for good.