Quote:
Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug
For me, Smith is a marginal upgrade on Elliott, if for nothing else that he won't be dogged all year for his crappy playoff performance from last year. Hopefully, Smith can provide average goaltending with a few steals along the way. I think he is fully capable of that.
Just as importantly, although some have derogatively called this "stop-gap", I think that is entirely the point of the acquisition. They weren't looking for a long term savior, as I think this trade indicates they feel they have some home-grown talent that will step up. They aren't ready yet, but I think this is in some way a vote of confidence that the young guys will be ready in a couple of years.
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^^ Nailed it. Smith is probably only a slight upgrade on Elliott, but the key is that Smith has the reputation as being capable of starting 55+ games and being a consistent, number one guy. Elliott has NEVER done that and would be coming back with last year's playoff meltdown looming over his head.
I also think Smith was the best "fit" in terms of organizational need given our goalie prospects. A guy like Raanta may have better/longer term upside, but that's not what the team needs or is prepared to pay for at this stage (especially if there is a risk that he'll flop -- another step back in 2017/18 would be devastating for the organization IMO, so better to go with a safer, more sure bet).