Quote:
Originally Posted by redforever
It is beyond me why some still think that Smith will work his way into a groove with more ice time.
According to a normal bell curve, Smith would have peaked some time ago and he should now be in the declining and waning 15% of his career. Isn't that what his stats are showing?
On the other hand, Rittich should be starting to rise. Does he have the tool box to be a true #1 goalie? I don't know...the sample size is not large enough. All I know is Rittich has given the Flames a better chance at winning and he deserves more starts.
Team defense can be 50% attributed to the coach and his system. If we are going to play a faster, looser system, then expect more turnovers. With the right horses, that can be turned around...or the ststem can be tweaked to produce better team results.
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Pretty much this.
It's unlikely Smith will be quite this bad, but it's even more unlikely he'll bounce back to league average starter at this point.
Rittichs ability to handle starter duty is a total question mark, but we don't have to go there right now. Split the starts for now and see how things develop.
Besides, Rittich has earned his chance.