Oilers to make questionable move because of coach Tippett’s security blanket?

Fans in Edmonton quickly reacted to the news reported by TSN’s Frank Seravalli that the Oilers have connected with veteran goaltender Mike Smith during the free-agency interview period. 

Smith, a pending unrestricted free agent, is coming off his second season with the Calgary Flames and is said to be looking to take his talents elsewhere. 

A move to Edmonton makes sense in many ways… Smith played under new Oilers head coach Dave Tippett in Dallas from 2006-2008, then again in Arizona from 2011-2017. 

The new head coach in Edmonton might be looking for a security blanket and would go with Smith, who gave him a lot of good years in the past. 

However, fans are well too aware that Smith’s best years might be behind him. He struggled mightily in 2018-19 and lost the starting job with the Flames to David Rittich. He posted a poor .898 save percentage in 42 games. 

Smith is now 37 years-old and seems to be on the decline. The Oilers could regret this. 

However, talks appear to be getting more and more serious between the two camps. Should the Oilers pull out and focus on other free-agent goalies available on the market?