Quote:
Originally Posted by Freeway
If the idea was Treliving didn't want to gamble a year of his core "going for it" on an untested starting goaltender, the guys available were basically Ben Bishop, Marc-Andre Fleury and Mike Smith. He went with the guy he knew the most with the lowest acquisition cost.
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Exactly ...
He needed to find a fine line between bolstering the goaltending spot, but not blocking the way for the stable of prospects to emerge for the next 7 years.
The Smith thing if you read between the lines is about mental toughness. Elliott was very inconsistent last year (tough start, tough finish, great middle), and from what I've heard it was mental. He wanted it so bad that he churned himself into a mess.
Smith is older, no doubt about it. There is risk in that he breaks down. But there is far less risk in his mental toughness to be a starter and give the team what they need; a solid goaltender, not the game's first star every night.
The numbers suggest a lateral move, though high danger shots suggest an upgrade, but the real change is putting a true starter in net that can provide more consistency to the position and let the rest of the roster do their thing.
I think he's done that, and I was saying Smith well before they actually went out and got him.