Yesterday, Jonathan Willis reported that the Oilers were "very interested" in Finnish goaltender and unrestricted free agent Jussi Rynnas. Unfortunately for the Oilers, Rynnas is not very interested in coming to Edmonton. According to a Pori-based news source, Satakunnan Kansa, via Pension Plan Puppets who translated the article, Rynnas has crossed the Oilers from his list.
Ässät goalie Jussi Rynnäs has ended his North American tour. The Pori resident who has attracted great interest among NHL teams was exploring 5 different organisation. During his eight day trip Rynnäs visited Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Minnesota Wild and Montreal Canadiens.
"Now I can say that I will leave Ässät. It will be nice to see what I can do. Deciding the team is so big and important decision in my life that it has to be thought through."
Rynnäs is likely to make his decision during next few weeks. Ässät will receive a transfer fee from the NHL of $150-200K USD ($111-148K Euros). The final amount depends on how many players from SM-league (Finnish Elite League) will move to North America for next season
It's interesting that he made a stop in Montreal. With Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price already on the roster, Rynnas wouldn't get a chance to play immediately, which is what I assume he would want. The same holds for the Minnesota Wild.
The Ässät goalie becomes the second high-profile international free agent to spurn the Oilers' advances, as multiple sources reported that the Oilers were interested in Swedish Elite League star Mats Zuccarello-Aasen prior to Zuccarello-Aasen signing with the Rangers.
The number of possible Finnish saviors within the organization is now back down to two.