Mike Smith's... woes? He blows? Eating crows? Who knows! (Also David Rittich exists!)

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

The team is first in its division and this year is a write off?
Cruise you must be a relatively new fan
We’ve had plenty of write off seasons. This ain’t one of them

But good teams don't rest on their laurels, especially not in the regular season. Sustaining an elite team these days is very difficult with the amount of parity and the salary cap. If you have a team that is one of the best in the NHL but go into the playoffs with a glaring weakness, it could be viewed as a failure if you don't win a round. Especially if the team regresses after that season.

I don't think it's prudent to procrastinate to the point that we are battling for home ice, or even a playoff spot. Rittich has been good, but you need a viable tandem in most cases.

[RichKlit]

I find it a little puzzling that anyone can argue for not replacing Smith with just about any other goalie in the league. No one has any idea what the true workload Rittich can handle will turn out to be and let’s not even think about if he were to get hurt.

I kept holding out hope that Smith would turn it around but it just doesn’t seem likely at this point. The Flames don’t have a huge lead and can’t afford to bleed away points with far below average goaltending from the back up especially with a bit of an unproven #1.

[Lanny_McDonald]

The Flames should have a huge lead, but Smith cost them 10 points in the standings with some really ECHL caliber goaltending. This is the most frustrating part of this season. The team has played so well, and should be a run away leader in the division/conference, but Mike Smith has been so poor that he has single handedly made this a horse race.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by RichKlit

I find it a little puzzling that anyone can argue for not replacing Smith with just about any other goalie in the league.

Acquisition cost to put Smith in net: Zero. He's already on the team.
Acquisition cost for any other goalie in the NHL: Non-zero, and potentially very large.

Any GM whose team has a legitimate shot at making the playoffs is going to be reluctant to jeopardize that by depleting his goaltending depth in mid-season (especially if it helps a possible playoff opponent).

Any GM whose team is out of the picture is in no hurry to make a deal, and would probably prefer to wait until the deadline when the buyers go out of their minds. That's if the team has a goalie worth trading for, which is not always the case. If you're sitting at the bottom of the standings halfway through the season, there's a pretty good chance that both your goalies stink.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

Acquisition cost to put Smith in net: Zero. He's already on the team.
Acquisition cost for any other goalie in the NHL: Non-zero, and potentially very large.

Any GM whose team has a legitimate shot at making the playoffs is going to be reluctant to jeopardize that by depleting his goaltending depth in mid-season (especially if it helps a possible playoff opponent).

Any GM whose team is out of the picture is in no hurry to make a deal, and would probably prefer to wait until the deadline when the buyers go out of their minds. That's if the team has a goalie worth trading for, which is not always the case. If you're sitting at the bottom of the standings halfway through the season, there's a pretty good chance that both your goalies stink.

This is absolutely true. Acquiring a goalie capable of being a starting goalie or at least a 1B is going to be difficult and probably costly. I won't blame Treliving if there simply isn't a rational trade to make at this point. Too many teams are still in the hunt and the teams that aren't, are not likely to part with their #1 goalie for cheap. But he must be looking IMO.

It's one of the more frustrating things about acquiring Smith to begin with. I checked out the old threads when we acquired him and many people felt that he was a huge risk at the time. He definitely wasn't a popular choice by fans on here based on his past track record and age. I obviously can't say that there weren't other options, but seeing guys like Raanta and Halak available at the time makes me wonder if there wasn't a huge opportunity cost by going with Smith, whom Treliving was familiar with more than other options.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

But good teams don't rest on their laurels, especially not in the regular season. Sustaining an elite team these days is very difficult with the amount of parity and the salary cap. If you have a team that is one of the best in the NHL but go into the playoffs with a glaring weakness, it could be viewed as a failure if you don't win a round. Especially if the team regresses after that season.

I don't think it's prudent to procrastinate to the point that we are battling for home ice, or even a playoff spot. Rittich has been good, but you need a viable tandem in most cases.

Totally agree
But all that is a far cry from proclaiming this season to be a write off

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Totally agree
But all that is a far cry from proclaiming this season to be a write off

Yeah, I don't like the terminology of it being a "write off". Going into the season, competing for the playoffs was something I viewed as a success. I guess my expectations have changed now though. I believe the team now has to seize this opportunity. Not doing so and falling short of decent playoff run would, in my view, be a huge disappointment.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Yeah, I don't like the terminology of it being a "write off". Going into the season, competing for the playoffs was something I viewed as a success. I guess my expectations have changed now though. I believe the team now has to seize this opportunity. Not doing so and falling short of decent playoff run would, in my view, be a huge disappointment.

If I believed this was the Flames’s only chance to make a run, I would probably agree. But I see a team that looks poised to be a contender for more than a handful of seasons. That certainly quells some of the urgency, and I am much more interested in retaining assets that could prove to be more valuable down the road than spending now for just a single opportunity.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

One might argue that if David Rittich were on another roster putting up 11-4-2 with a 2.29 and .923, a not insubstantial number of us would be pushing to acquire him a la Jones/Grubauer/Raanta etc.

True. The issue though is Smith at this point isn't even a competent back up. The guy's momentum killing goals just deflate any comeback attempts from the team.

Lets be honest. If Rittich or Gillies put up Smith's numbers, they'd already be on waivers. But because it's Mike Smith, he's getting chance after chance, and it's really hurting the team. And the guy is 36. He's not going to improve. He is what he is, which is at best an AHL back up goalie.

They really need to trade for someone who can share the net with Rittich and who can make a freaking routine save without looking like it's the hardest save in the world.

[gamesaver]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

They really need to trade for someone who can share the net with Rittich and who can make a freaking routine save without looking like it's the hardest save in the world.

I agree and I would recommend to take a good look into AHL goalies, because you can afford them and their contract is going to fit into our salary cap. Even a mediocre save% around 90% in 15-20 games would be an upgrade over Mike Smith.

As I have said in some other thread, I would take a shot at Pavel Francouz. He is number 3 for the Avs, I believe a draft pick ranging between round 3 - 5 would do the trick. He is not proven in the NHL, but he has played a lot of games at professional level and his numbers are impressive throughout his whole career. His cap hit is 690k and its just a one year, two way deal. He is not going to hurt you in any way, even if you decide to send him down. He has some history with Rittich from the last IIHF WC too. Checked his interview after his debut for the Avs and his english is arguably better then Rittich's. This guy would be my choice if we were looking for a cheap, rental goalie as a replacement for Smith.

[Poe969]

The season isn't a write off but if Smith has to play any games that matter it will be. Smith has played like junk and isn't a viable option for the team but if they can replace him with a decent goalie, soon, this season has potential to be really good.

It's a pretty safe bet to assume the Flames lose any game Smith starts from here on out.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Poe969

It's a pretty safe bet to assume the Flames lose any game Smith starts from here on out.

It is? He’s won more games than he has lost.

[Table 5]

Smith is this year’s Gultuzan. The same rationalizing of inaction is happening again (often by the same characters), and we’re again in a position where ignoring the seemingly obvious is risking our season. Even if the risk itself is different, we all know he’s holding us back from reaching full potential, and we all know change needs to be made to move forward...it’s just a matter of when. No, there are no perfect goalies to replace with him with him, and the cost may be high, but you can’t just waste another year due to fear of the unknown. Like with Peters, there’s no guarantee the replacement will be better. But it’s hard to imagine it can get worse.

The season won’t be a write-off with Smith, but it sure can be a big missed opportunity in a league where windows come and go fast. We already wasted a year, let’s not be stupid enough to do it again.

[RichKlit]

Right so the garage is on fire but the rest of the house is fine so I’m not going to call the fire department. Makes sense. The team needs to find a new goalie. Like I said I hoped Smith would figure it out and yes the cheaper alternative is to ride out the season with Smith but come on they have one glaring issue and it needs to be addressed.

[Poe969]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

It is? He’s won more games than he has lost.

Has he won the games or was it the team that won inspite of his efforts? If the team can't put up more than 2 goals, its a loss because he's good for 2 garbage goals per game.

[1991 Canadian]

All the major points about Smith's play this season have already been made so I'm not going to pile on too much. The next question is, what do you do about it?

I honestly think the wisest move is the keep Smith, even though he is costing the Flames points. The Flames are 1st in the Pacific and 2nd in the Western conference going into Christmas. This is despite a handful of games where Smith has either cost the Flames points or they had to win in spite of him.

I'm with New Era, the Flames could probably be a 120 point team with a competent backup instead of Smith. But I am not concerned that Smith will keep the Flames from the playoffs.

Backup goaltending is arguably the least important position come playoff time. I don't think its worth to spend an assett for a team to take Smith's contract, plus an assett to get an improved backup goalie.

Let Smith join the list of Flames whipping boys who can't get a contract after they are done with the Flames and get a free agent backup or make some other move in the offseason.

Until then, I think us Flames fans will just need to suffer through Smith's performances and hope he turns in the odd good game.

If he's not keeping us from the playoffs and won't be a key part of the playoffs, why are we getting so worked up about it?

[Bonded]

If the Islanders slip back I bet we could get Lehner for cheap

[Ryan Coke]

I’m not convinced that Smith can’t regain his form, but of course I’m not convinced that he can either. While making a major move is both very complicated and asset expensive, it certainly has gaotten to where the team should be looking for an inexpensive option.

If someone like Curtis McElhinney beacons available on waivers or a cheap trade, it seems like it would make sense. Managing Smith at that point could be difficult, but something is going to have to give.

[oldschoolcalgary]

Originally Posted by 1991 Canadian

If he's not keeping us from the playoffs and won't be a key part of the playoffs, why are we getting so worked up about it?

probably cause we aren't even at the halfway mark of the season?

Calgary is in the playoffs currently, however, as many have stated, Smith has cost this team anywhere from 5-10 points. Smith is actively losing calgary points; that's why people are getting worked up about.

There is no guarantee that Rittich doesn't hit a bad patch either...where there will be a higher workload placed on smith...

You still need a competent backup goalie, even though Rittich is looking like he's the real deal, he will still need rest throughout the rest of the year... Smith as it currently stands, doesn't look good at all...even during the win streak, i think the only game he looked great was the game at minnesota.

As someone mentioned, if you looked at purely the numbers, and not the name plate, Smith would have already been waived by the club.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Poe969

Has he won the games or was it the team that won inspite of his efforts? If the team can't put up more than 2 goals, its a loss because he's good for 2 garbage goals per game.

Flames are averaging 3.4 goals a game. So, again, not guaranteed a loss.