Oilers press on Smith and Keith

The Edmonton Oilers have reportedly asked goalkeeper Mike Smith and defender Duncan Keith to make a decision on their future by July 1.

Sportsnet correspondent Elliot Friedman said Saturday.

So Alberta would like to know within the next three weeks if the two veteran players – 40 and 38 years old respectively – intend to retire or play in the final year of their contract.

Smith should receive $2.2 million in 2022-2023. The masked man was the Oilers’ starter during the club’s playoff round. In 16 matches, he scored 0.913 saves and 3.37 goals against the average.

Last Wednesday, during a season-ending review in Edmonton, Smith was asked about the rumors that led him to retire.

“I don’t know where it came from,” he said. I do not know. It’s too early to tell.”

In 2021-22, Smith was playing his third season in an oil uniform. For Keith, this was his first lap with the Canadian club. The defensive linebacker was acquired from a deal made with the Chicago Blackhawks in July 2021.

“I think it was better than I could have imagined,” Keith said of his first season with the Oilers. It was a lot of first things for me – being with a new team, trading and living in a new city, a different team, a lot of different things – at the end of the day I have a lot of fond memories of last season.

In 64 regular season games, Keith scored one goal and 20 assists for 21 points. He added five points in 15 playoffs when the Oilers reached the Western Conference Finals.

If Keith decides to play the final year of his contract in 2022-23, it will affect the Oilers’ salaries by around $5.6 million.