Ladislav Smid re-signs with Edmonton Oilers to a 2-year, $4.5 million contract –NHL offseason Update
Ready to enter his sixth consecutive season with Edmonton Oilers, Ladislav Smid re-signed with the Canadian franchise to a two-year contract worth $4.5 million ($2.25 million a season) on Thursday as announced by the team in a press release.
The 25-year-old defenseman received a qualifying offer by Edmonton nearly two days ago whether he would like to re-sign on the made offer or would like to test the free agency starting on Friday, but opted to stay.
Ladislav was also very happy that Oilers made him the offer as he said in a statement on the franchise's official website.
"I was really happy", Smid said. "The negotiations were smooth and it was pretty quick. It only took a couple days to get done. Both sides could see that I really wanted to stay in Edmonton, so it wasn't a problem and I’m really glad to be part of the team’s
future".
At the end of the previous regular season, Smid was not sure what would happen to him in terms of his contract expriring.
“We talked after the season and they told me they wanted to keep me but you never know what’s going to happen. A deal can come up, you never know. I can relax a little more and prepare for the season”, Smid said.
Ladislav is a valuable player. He was drafted in the 2004 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft by Anaheim Ducks as the ninth overall pick.
He was immediately transferred to Edmonton where he remained for the remaining part of his career.
The Frydlant, Czech Republic native posted 10 points with 10 assists in the last season as he played 78 games but remained inconsistent with a plus-minus rating of -10.
Edmonton grabbed its second straight first overall pick in the entry draft by selecting Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
On the way to rebuilding and improving their team, Oilers is focused on adding as much valuable manpower it can possibly get its hands on.
Oilers also let go of defenseman, Sheldon Souray, by buying out his $4.5 million contract and forcing him into the free agency.
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