Report: Oilers negotiating with pending UFA goaltender

From the moment Ken Holland was hired as general manager of the Edmonton Oilers, fans have been expecting some big changes. To date however, Holland has left his roster relatively untouched, making changes only to the team’s front office staff. With free agency on the horizon though, expect Holland the Oilers to make some moves in an effort to turnover a portion of the Oilers’ under-achieving roster.

In particular, Holland will need to address his team’s situation in goal. Mikko Koskinen is signed for another three seasons at $4.5 million annually, but have little else behind him in the organization. Both Anthony Stolarz and Al Montoya will hit the open market as unrestricted free agents. 

According to a repot from NHL insider Pierre LeBrun though, Holland and the Oilers have had discussions with Carolina Hurricanes and pending UFA Petr Mrazek. Check it out: 

Interesting. It’s worth noting that Mrazek has a history with Holland going back to his time with the Detroit Red Wings organization. It was Holland who signed Mrazek to a two year, $8 million contract and it was also Holland who traded Mrazek away to the Philadelphia Flyers For little return. You may also recall that Mrazek was left unprotected by Holland and the Red Wings for the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Suffice it to say, the pair have a mixed history. Would Mrazek be interested in a reunion?

In any case, Mrazek had a bit of a career renaissance in 2018-19, putting up a 2.39 goals against average and .914 save percentage in 40 games for the Hurricanes.