Quote:
Originally Posted by transplant99
The Flames themselves tracked this internally and the first year Smith played in Calgary, they estimated it saved defensemen from getting hit/rubbed out over 400 times during the season. That is a great help to those guys and allows for much fresher/less injured bodies at seasons end.
It matters...a lot.
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Yes. I acknowledged this, but that is beside the counter-point that I was making. It slows the defense in their own zone, and I think that was a contributing factor to what happened in the playoffs with a much more intensive forecheck from the other team. With the number of NHL teams that don't seem to prioritize this aspect of their game I think it is abundantly fair to question the overall effectiveness of a puck-playing goalie.