Have it your way and head up to Edmonton with Gulutzan not gonna miss you.
Let me go back through entire post histories and I'll be glad to show how Jiri is a poor contributor to this forum and if given the chance I'd do the same for you.
The poor contributor right now is clearly you. If you have a problem with Jiri send him a message. The rest of this is off topic and uncalled for. You’re making yourself look bad
Probably already discussed in this thread, but there is an interesting article on sportsnet about who could be available for the flames in trade. Think it was actually a radio bit.
Anyways Elliot mentions that Bob has a NMC and does not think he would waive for Calgary. I agree with him. IMO, at best he waives for the rest of the year, but still tests out free agency market. The rest of the list was nothing great and most of the goalies they discussed Elliot said the other team probably wouldnt trade them lol. Also there are many teams needing goalies right now.
Have to hope Ritch grabs hold of the starter job, because i think at best Smith can be a backup .
It stands to reason that he is probably not truly the historically bad puckstopper that he has been to date this season. With that said, at his age and with his history of injuries I don't know how anyone on the coaching staff or management could make the call to continue forward for everyone to find out the truth. We've seen this deflating, untimely goaltending song and dance time and time again in the last handful of years. The organization can't afford to be wrong again should Smith's career actually be toast. You simply cannot waste this year with how good the rest of the team is. Move on now with Rittich and _____ (hopefully a trade for a backup) and Smith will be a distant memory by the end of the season.
The silver lining at least is the expiring contract.
When you look at goaltenders that are getting shelled statistically ...
Martin Jones - 5 more years at 5.75
Mike Smith - expiring
Jake Allen - 2 more years 4.35
M.A. Fleury - new 7M/3 year deal staring next year
Jacob Markstrom - 1 more year 3.7
Matt Murray - 1 more year 3.8
Vegas and San Jose have some troubles if their guy has lost it with the new equipment etc.
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The poor contributor right now is clearly you. If you have a problem with Jiri send him a message. The rest of this is off topic and uncalled for. You’re making yourself look bad
Just followed that conversation back in time ...
That's getting pretty personal and downright creepy if you ask me. A difference of opinion is interesting and good for the site. An intolerance to an opinion different than your own is a problem.
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This whole goaltending debacle stems from this management team betting on Gillies and Parsons.
They thought one of them would be ready to be the no. 1 now. They bet wrong. They never had faith in Rittich. They always saw him as the back up. They feel Rittich will just fail when they give him more starts.
They had too much faith in Gillies and therefore went with band-aid solutions like Elliot and Smith.
Interesting guess by you but it’s nothing more than that.
Management has always mentioned Rittich in the same breath as Gillies and Parsons
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The silver lining at least is the expiring contract.
When you look at goaltenders that are getting shelled statistically ...
Martin Jones - 5 more years at 5.75
Mike Smith - expiring
Jake Allen - 2 more years 4.35
M.A. Fleury - new 7M/3 year deal staring next year
Jacob Markstrom - 1 more year 3.7
Matt Murray - 1 more year 3.8
Vegas and San Jose have some troubles if their guy has lost it with the new equipment etc.
At 28, you'd think Jones has it in him to recover. Fleury? I don't know so much.
I don't have too much hope for a Smith recovery and you honestly have to wonder if a waiver wire pickup will provide a better level of goaltending. As you point out, there is no obligation to Smith past this year so at some point he can just be released if you find a better option.
I find it hard to believe that Treliving doesn't make some kind of goalie move in the near future, even if very minor.
Location: Wondering when # became hashtag and not a number sign.
Exp:
I see a lot of people are equating last years return from injury to being the same as this years disaster for Smith. I don't know that the two are at all related though its certainly possible.
When he returned last year it was apparent the club was on a spiral already and was fading quickly out of the playoff picture that he was a large part of getting them to in the first place. It was clear his injury affected his abilities at the time so he was just a part of the team wide collapse and the coaching staff couldn't change things.
This season though it's a different animal IMO. Assuming health hasn't been an issue, it sure looks like a confidence issue that started in pre-season and hasn't stopped...and in fact may have gotten worse. Some will say its age, but i dont think that has anything to do with it either, at least not physically. His reflexes look the same, but his positioning (way to deep in the net at the wrong times) and his ability to track and follow the puck has him fighting it hard all over the place.
SO I think there is still a real possibility he can get back to being really good again its just that it cant be in games right now because the team cant afford losing when they have been the better team. So give Rittich the reins for the next 5 or 6 games...let Smith try and figure things out in practice and then give him a couple starts if he shows he is working out the kinks.
If it doesn't work out like that then BT has to really get serious about figuring something out deal wise to make sure the team has a realistic chance of getting into the playoffs.
I would thin we will have our answer either way by Christmas or shortly after.....but until then its Rittich or bust.
Location: Wondering when # became hashtag and not a number sign.
Exp:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Strange Brew
At 28, you'd think Jones has it in him to recover. Fleury? I don't know so much.
I don't have too much hope for a Smith recovery and you honestly have to wonder if a waiver wire pickup will provide a better level of goaltending. As you point out, there is no obligation to Smith past this year so at some point he can just be released if you find a better option.
I find it hard to believe that Treliving doesn't make some kind of goalie move in the near future, even if very minor.
How do you do this?
You can waive him and send him to Stockton where he will still count against the cap, but there is no "just releasing" a guy on an NHL contract unless he breaks a condition within it.
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The one thing I keep thinking back to is game #4 of the first round in 16-17 against Anaheim. We had no choice but to start Elliot who had been brutal and he let in that shot from the goal line 5 minutes in and there was no choice but to yank him and bring in Johnson. Anaheim goes down and scores seconds later to make it 2-0 and the series was over.
Even if Smith hangs around and gets a bit better, there is no convincing me that something similar won't happen again with him in net at a similar point should we manage to qualify for the postseason. We are all going to be kicking ourselves if nothing is done, better to do it sooner than later.
I'll relax now and get off my "drive Smitty out of town" soapbox
We had no choice but to start Elliot who had been brutal and he let in that shot from the goal line 5 minutes in and there was no choice but to yank him and bring in Johnson.
There was certainly a choice to not start Elliott. GG of course didn’t make the choice a lot of us was hoping for
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You can waive him and send him to Stockton where he will still count against the cap, but there is no "just releasing" a guy on an NHL contract unless he breaks a condition within it.
He is counting against the cap no matter what unless you find a taker for him, which would be next to impossible.
But that doesn't mean you have to keep him around. I don't see much point in sending him to Stockton if he becomes third string personally, and I doubt he'd care much for it. So if you waive him and he clears, you can just send him home and let his agent try to work out a deal with another club that would suit both the Flames and the player.
But I can't speak for Smith obviously. Maybe he would go to Stockton to work on his game.
Fair enough. My memory is that Johnson was incredibly cool and inconsistent during the stretch run but I could be mistaken.
Johnson put together a really strong month that saved us that season but theres no miracles there, Johnson was exactly as advertised, when things were going badly he stepped up and played extremely well, but he could never maintain that form, if he could he'd be an NHL starter rather than a perennial backup.
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Murray, Markstrom, Jones all have time to play through a slump and potential to get better.
Allen as well, but to a lesser degree. He's always been mediocre.
Smith and Fluery have hit their primes, they are in their twilight years. And I'm not saying they are similar in skill, nut they are simliar in their career arcs, and not doubt on the downward trend.
Murray, Markstrom, Jones all have time to play through a slump and potential to get better.
Allen as well, but to a lesser degree. He's always been mediocre.
Smith and Fluery have hit their primes, they are in their twilight years. And I'm not saying they are similar in skill, nut they are simliar in their career arcs, and not doubt on the downward trend.
Agreed ... but starting a 7M contract next year for 3 years ... yikes if you're a vegas fan.
not gonna miss you.
