Any chance Burke and Lowe are secretly friends and the two meddling Presidents brokered this deal?
Seriously, I love this deal from an asset standpoint. I have never been sold on Horak, especially as a top 6 option. People were hoping he would amount to something mostly because he was part of the Erixon trade. I don't like the fact that we are giving up Brossoit as I like him the most among Flames' goaltending prospects (more than Gillies), but the fact is that he's a long way from developing into a #1 goalie in the NHL and there's a strong chance he might not get there.
In my mind, the Flames are getting a top 4 defenseman for what amounts to a goaltending prospect and a fringe bottom 6 player. That's a steal! With that said, this is likely not going to end up being a terrible deal for the Oilers. Smid is hardly a cornerstone player. The Oilers suck with Smid and will suck without him so this trade will really have little impact.