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Ryan Smyth isn’t going anywhere, wants new contract with Oilers

Red Wings Oilers Hockey

Edmonton Oilers’ Ryan Smyth screens Detroit Red Wings goalie Joey MacDonald during second period NHL hockey game action in Edmonton,Alberta, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, John Ulan)

AP

It’s no secret that Ryan Smyth loves it in Edmonton and now he wants to make sure he stays there for good.

The veteran winger’s name has been bandied about in trade deadline speculation but he tells Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal that he wants a new deal with the team for next season to guarantee that he’s not heading out of town even as a rental.

“My ultimate goal is to sign a new contract with the Oilers, ideally before the trade deadline,” said Smyth, who turns 36 in a week. “Yeah, I want that.”

Matheson says that Smyth hasn’t told Oilers GM Steve Tambellini that he’s not interested in being traded but Smyth believes it to be understood that that’s the case since neither side has talked about being traded this year.

While the floundering Oilers looked like one team that could’ve been busy at the trade deadline, they’ve opted to do things differently by locking up defenseman Andy Sutton and are even in talks with impending free agent Ales Hemsky about signing long-term in Edmonton. If they don’t come to an understanding there, he’s likely to be traded by the deadline.

With the young talent in Edmonton ready to break out in the future and become a force in the West, you can understand why guys want to stick around.