Quote:
Originally Posted by jayswin
This is a special year, I don't buy what a lot of Flames fans are selling - That this is the new norm and we'll definitely have more cracks just like this season. We'll be good for sure, but it's not guaranteed at all that we'll be like this, we have A LOT going right for us this season.
You push some chips in this year and a decent back up is absolutely where I'm putting some chips or this season could easily be lost with one injury.
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As nice as it would be to get a better backup, I'm going to keep making these three arguments against it:
1) a cheap backup is not going to save us in the postseason. If Rittich goes down we're done anyway.
2) a backup is likely to play zero games in the playoffs, thus wasting any resources we spent on him.
3) any resources spent on a 1b option could alternatively be spent upgrading parts of the lineup that actually play in the playoff.
With these arguments I'm having trouble justifying getting a different backup this late in the season. I agree with those who argue that a few points in the standings could make a big difference in playoff matchups, but still. The time to get rid of Smith has IMO passed.
If the plan is to go all the way, which really has to be the only plan at this point, then I would focus on having the best possible playoff lineup with the assumption that Rittich is the starter.
Or to put more or less the same argument a different way:
Only two teams won playoff games with two different goalies last season (COL and PHI), and neither won a series.
In the playoffs, you win with your best goalie or not at all.
Also, worrying about a possible injury to Rittich specifically is kind of pointless. If any of Monahan, Gaudreau, or Giordano go down, our cup chances are just as done.
Even with just Harmonic down our defense suddenly looks a lot weaker. Rittich isn't the only irreplaceable part on the team.