Quote:
Originally Posted by LWcrowfoot
The Flames have a legitimate shot at the cup this season but they need a significant upgrade on the back up goalie to do it. Adequate just isn't going to cut it. Plenty of interesting options out there, all better than Smith who has been "adequate". Happy for those that think Smith's numbers, even since November, are acceptable for a contending team, but I don't.
Rittich is far and away the least proven goalie of all the top teams. Wanting another backup is also a worry about his game. If Rittich falters in anyway the idea of Mike Smith coming in to carry the load if frightening.
|
Mike Smith is 12th in wins since December 1. 21st in GAA of goaltenders who have played at least 8 games, and 38th in SV%.
In short, he’s putting up numbers that are respectable for any backup. It’s nice you think the numbers are not acceptable for a contending team, but it which available backups do you think are an upgrade?
Of the available upgrades, all of them are very close statistically to Smith in that time.
In that same time frame, Calgary is 13th in GA. Tampa is 10th with 2 less goals allowed, Nashville and Winnipeg have allowed 10 less goals.
I’m all for upgrading Smith if you can do it for cheap. Why not? But the statement that he’s not an acceptable backup for a contending team is wrong. If anything, our goaltending situation as a whole is less than ideal for a contending team as Rittich has not been a top guy since November. But that’s on both guys. Saying we need to replace Smith because of Smith means you have blinders on. We should upgrade Smith because Rittich isn’t a surefire option. Contending teams have a surefire option.