Quote:
Originally Posted by Fire
They need to find out what they have with Rittich this season. The more games he plays the better. If Rittich can at least be a 1b next season it would be big for the Flames.
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It should also be noted that Smith was brought here with 2 years left on his contract and was clearly a place holder until someone from within the organization stepped up to the plate. He was never going to be a long term solution in net. He was traded here so that it would buy the team time to see if they had an internal solution in net lying in wait. This meant being patient with Gillies, Rittich and the other prospects rather then tossing them to the wolves.
The Flames can't look at it as Smith is the #1 and Rittich the backup. That time has passed. IMO this is the year to transition it to a 1A/1B scenario. I get wanting to try to get Smith back on track to the level he can play. But counting on that to happen is a mistake, as he's older and Flames' goalies have a piss-poor record when they are in the final year of their contract.
You could say last season that Rittich wasn't ready for #1 duties so it made sense to ride Smith. But this season there is a much better team in front who can actually provide offensive support and sustain pressure on the other end. Now is actually the perfect time to transition Rittich to a 1B scenario, with the hopes he can become the 1A at some point.