Oilers GM Ken Holland shares an unfortunate update on Mike Smith's status

It was reported in early-July by TSN's Darren Dreger that the Edmonton Oilers would likely be placing goaltender Mike Smith on long-term injured reserve due to the injuries he dealt with during last season.

On Wednesday as training camps opened up, Oilers General Manager Ken Holland told reporters that Mike Smith had his physical on Tuesday and failed.

"Mike had his physical yesterday and failed" @EdmontonOilers Ken Holland on Mike Smith— Gene Principe (@GenePrincipe) September 21, 2022

Given that Smith is 40-years-old, it's entirely possible that his career is over and that he will spend all of the 2022-23 season on LTIR, before officially retiring next summer. Smith has one-year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $2.2 million.

The Kingston (Ontario) native appeared in 28 games for the Oilers last season, where he had a record of 16-9-2 with a 2.81 GAA, a .915 save percentage and two shutouts.

With Jack Campbell signed to a five-year contract to be the team's starting netminder, the Oilers will likely now go with 23-year-old Stuart Skinner as the back-up.

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