Could Ryan Smyth be returning to the Edmonton Oilers in order to finish his career with the team that selected him in the first round of the 1994 entry draft?
A deal certainly isn't imminent and won't necessarily be an easy transaction for either the Los Angeles Kings or Oilers to close, but sources tell TSN the 35-year-old left winger has indicated to the Kings his preference would be to play next season in Edmonton if a trade can be worked out.
As much as the potential return of Smyth, a.k.a. Captain Canada, to Edmonton might warm the hearts of sentimentalists who so closely identify the mop-haired veteran with the Oiler franchise, there are some practical reasons why it won't be an easy deal to facilitate and there's no guarantee it will happen at all.
I'd love to see him back in an Oilers uni, one of favorite players of all time. And he'd be a great guy to have around our young players.