[Split98]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

It is not at all silly. I completely agree that this is a problem that needs to be resolved, but it absolutely is overblown by fans who are irate that this does not happen immediately. It is overblown by fans who seem to relish in ensuring that Smith's tenure in Calgary ends in the most unprofessional manner possible.

I do hope you understand that doesn't speak for all of us.

And I don't think it's too overblown by fans who legitimately think we are rolling the dice every time Smith starts - and we'd like a bit more odds in our favour (a better goalie)

Originally Posted by Textcritic

THAT's "being silly." I recognize that this is an intentional exaggeration, but that does not preclude the fact it is an utterly false statement. Yes, Smith has cost the team points, and it remains to be seen how that has affected them once the season ends. I suspect that the impact will not be especially significant: at this point I think the team will at worst finish with home-ice advantage in the first round.

Of course it is

I don't know how having a #### goalie is not especially significant
He is a remarkably bad goalie, that TBH hasn't really accomplished a whole lot with us. A bunch of years in the desert with a good start here hasn't been enough to excuse the notion that he's done in the NHL and is very unreliable.

He's cost the team points
the team works harder to win when he's in net
and we use our starter more often when there isn't a good backup option

Those things are very significant at season's end. With Vegas nipping at our heels, I don't think you can make that statement when Smith has almost entered double digits of points he's single-handedly cost.

That matters, and the solutions are there. At the very least, solutions need to be tried. If we lose home-ice to Vegas by 2 points - what then? Seems significant.

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I get that. What I don't get is the incredulity expressed by some that the Flames chose to start Smith ahead of Gillies. I think the decision made was entirely straightforward and defensible.

In the Boston game, I don't think the decision was defensible - especially when the result was a loss that sits on his shoulders.

Back to back games are normally split between goalies
We had 2 goalies that had played NHL games
We had 2 goalies that had played NHL games poorly
We need a solution to the terrible goaltending we have seen so far
We played one of the worst goalies in the NHL in a rare situation instead

Sheltering Gillies shouldn't have been the straightforward decision, and I remain confused as to why they did it. And the result was indefensible. Whether it's a lack of trust in Gillies, or too much trust in Smith I think it was a mistake.

And again, I think if Gillies is not capable of splitting B2B games and Smith was the better option - I think Gillies has too much of an uphill battle at this stage in his development. Playing backup to Mike Smith the day after he started is about as low as you could be as a goalie. Gillies has been in development long enough that he should be capable of playing 1 NHL game in this rare circumstance.

Hell, if we played Rittich B2B and he stunk it up I'd be asking why Gillies is so terrible he couldn't have played.

I don't believe he is this terrible, so I think it was a very poor decision - and it ultimately cost them a win and more goalie controversy.

Just imagine if Detroit was Smith's last start and Gillies played better than Smith did. What a different story.

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Yes. I continue to believe that "the right deal" is something the Flames are being careful to pursue, and this is what is taking time.

And I wish that we'd put on the spare tire to get home. This'd cost a 5th (it seems) to give us a potential break from terrible goaltending, but Tres work isn't done (unless your 5th turns into a good backup option... then you're done)

Treliving let an unproven goalie, rough prospects, and a 36yo that's been looking pretty bad and recently injured enter the season as the Flames goalie options. That Rittich has played as well as he has is something Tre should consider himself very lucky for. But the need to get Smth out of the net was around when Toronto let 2 goalies walk - and many other options since then.

The right deal on a backup shouldn't be a tough decision, and it doesn't seem like it's taking too much to get a goalie that gives you a better chance than Smith