Modifié 25 juin 2019 à 20 h 18
Quoting: Kakko_to_New_York
Gagner is almost dead and Smith could bounce back?
Smith's steak is every bit as medium-well as Gagner's is at this point.
He also makes over a million more than Gagner, which is significant since the Oilers are entering Hades in cap-terms. He has one more year longer on his deal than Gagner, and, the icing on the cake here is that would be a healthy scratch in Edmonton, as he's not playing ahead of Klefbom, Nurse, or Sekera.
If you bought him out, maybe Edmonton would offer a 1 year-deal at $1 mil to play a 6-7 defender role. Depends what Holland thinks of him (and he would certainly know him well).
Maybe he could regain his form again; or, maybe he's Brandon Manning. Either way, Edmonton's not taking on that brutal 2nd year of the deal.
Sorry, hardest of passes here from Edmonton's POV.