The thing with Rittich is he hasn't really shown consistent progression.
2016/17 - very good first season in the AHL
2017/18 - awful AHL season. Looked promising as a backup for the Flames but failed when taking over as starter
2018/19 - looks great so far
This isn't like Kipper who was an AHL all-star for two seasons before struggling to make his mark in the NHL.
We obviously need to see how Rittich can handle an increased workload and who knows, maybe we catch lightning in a bottle. But on paper, this is not a guy who has progressed at every level and shown he is ready to be a starter. And I suspect that's part of the reason Smith has still been getting starter's minutes.
I don't know how Rittich looks in practice and I do think that's an understated part of the equation. I recall one Flame player after one of his wins comment on how good he is in practice.
As stated previously if we can get average goaltending then should be OK. Bu average is no gimme for anyone.
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