Quote:
Originally Posted by tripin_billie
Minimizing unnecessary movement is critical to effective goaltending. The problem with Smith is that he either moves himself too much as to be out of the next play or that he spends too much time on the motion, again leaving him behind the next move. Comparing Smith to a goalie that is focused on economy is night and day.
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Quite frankly, you don't know the half of what Mike Smith's problem is. He has been goalieing his entire life, and has played the last decade at the highest level, and experienced a good deal of success in that time. Mike Smith plays the way he has always played because that is how he has managed to stay in the NHL until the ripe-old age of 37.
In the end, it's a difference in style and technique because not every goalie is going to feel comfortable playing the position the same way. I think when people complain about Smith overselling "routine saves" it's a confirmation bias. He had a bad year last season, and for those who were frustrated by his performance it was no longer enough to pick at his mistakes and complain; they started picking at the saves he made as a way of engraining that frustration even more deeply—it's an easy path to self satisfaction and certainty. It helps to create a simple narrative, but like all simple stories it was more often than not far from the truth.