According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, goaltender Ville Husso is on the radar of the Edmonton Oilers this summer and GM Ken Holland will be among the more active GMs in trying to Husso to sign a deal in free agency. LeBrun writes, “I believe the Edmonton Oilers will be among nearly 10 teams calling on Husso come July 13, which makes obvious sense.”
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LeBrun points out that there are some bigger-name free agents out there, including Marc-Andre Fleury and Darcy Kuemper, but he calls Husso “the action guy here because of his age.” He adds, “The Blues are locked in long-term on Jordan Binnington, so all signs point to Husso hitting the UFA market.” The Oilers, meanwhile, badly need a starter as Mikko Koskinen has left for Switzerland and Mike Smith is reportedly so banged up, he could start the season on LIT, assuming he doesn’t choose to retire altogether.
But, if the Oilers want him, they’re going to have to pay for him. LeBrun cites Husso’s agent Todd Diamond who said Wednesday, “I expect it to be a robust market for him.’’ Diamond adds, “He’s put himself in a very good position. Let’s see what happens here coming up.’’ What it will cost is unclear, but the speculated ask is going to be around $5 million per season.
Is It Worth it For Oilers?
A team that is tight to the salary cap, giving Husso big money to join the Oilers will be seen as a bit of a risk. His resume in the NHL isn’t extensive and just because the Oilers need someone, doesn’t necessarily guarantee that Husso will pan out. He played well in St. Louis, but he lost the starting job to Binnington in the playoffs. He posted a .919 save percentage and a 2.56 goals-against average in 40 appearances for the Blues in 2021-22. He struggled in the playoffs, posting an .890 save percentage.
If Holland is wrong and Husso doesn’t pan out, it’s going to be the type of deal that looks really bad a few seasons from now.
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