Player Discussion Is Smith cooked? Edit: YEAH HE IS!

[Ace Rimmer]

It is ignorant for Smith to say his play hasn’t hurt the team. The Flames might have another 4 wins if his play had just been around league average. I don’t think it’s fair to pin every loss on him, but he hasn’t really won us games either (besides 1), and he’s definitely cost us games especially in his last start. He’s been awful and needs to be much better, making excuses for his play doesn’t look well on him.

Hasn't hurt the team... so far.

2nd in the pacific, 8th overall in Point% tells me that it hasn't hurt the team yet.

Tonight's a great example of a shitty game by Smith and its ability to hurt the team a bit. This game's for 1st in the Pacific division.

 

[Anglesmith]

We were 9-6-1 when Smith said that, and he doesn't have a losing record. That's all he means. He's admitting he's fortunate because the team have been bailing out.

And come on, during the Ducks game, we got behind because of Smith, but the loss was a team effort. To suggest that the only glaring individual errors that game were by Smith is just plain dishonest.

I feel like people just enjoy these assassination threads and willingly get carried away, knowing full well that they aren't necessarily being fair.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

We didn’t lose the Ducks game because of our offence or defence, it’s fair to say we badly outplayed them on both sides of the puck. A team is as strong as your weakest link, Smith was our weakest player that game and by a good margin, that’s not assassinating him, that’s a fact. I feel very confident in saying had Rittich played that game, we would have won. Smith has been the worst goalie in the league, he’s deserves the criticism.

 

[Anglesmith]

We didn’t lose the Ducks game because of our offence or defence, it’s fair to say we badly outplayed them on both sides of the puck. A team is as strong as your weakest link, Smith was our weakest player that game and by a good margin, that’s not assassinating him, that’s a fact. I feel very confident in saying had Rittich played that game, we would have won. Smith has been the worst goalie in the league, he’s deserves the criticism.

We scored two goals. To say our offence was good enough is disingenuous. As I said, Backlund's miss of the open net (as an example) has the exact same effect on the score as whiffing on an easy shot.

 

[Mobiandi]

Smith put us in a hole but the entire team was awful.

We were treading water against a tired, awful Ducks team and that's not good enough. The last 5 minutes of the 3rd were painful to watch.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

We scored two goals. To say our offence was good enough is disingenuous. As I said, Backlund's miss of the open net (as an example) has the exact same effect on the score as whiffing on an easy shot.

I know you’re trying to level headed of the criticism and I appreciate that, but Smith consistently has been our worst player. That’s a fact, and that isn’t to say he’s been our only player who’s struggled at times. But he’s cost us points if we’re being honest.

 

[Calculon]

The Flames started the Ducks game playing pretty well but fell off a cliff right after that horrendous first goal. Literally the definition of back breaking.

That loss was on Smith more than anything else.

 

[Anglesmith]

I know you’re trying to level headed of the criticism and I appreciate that, but Smith consistently has been our worst player. That’s a fact, and that isn’t to say he’s been our only player who’s struggled at times. But he’s cost us points if we’re being honest.

I know, but I think it's a little silly to take that quote by Smith and read it as though he's saying his play has had no effect. He's just admitting that he's lucky that the team has been able to pile up wins without him playing well. Obviously every goalie around the league can look at their game and know that they could technically be undefeated if they stopped more pucks.

I think it's a good frame of mind for Smith to be in, because hopefully it lets him relax a bit. He's a guy who really gets off his game if he thinks he needs to do more than he can. If he can maintain an attitude of just helping the team and staying within himself, I like his chances of eventually finding his form.

 

[DFF]

We were 9-6-1 when Smith said that, and he doesn't have a losing record. That's all he means. He's admitting he's fortunate because the team have been bailing out.

And come on, during the Ducks game, we got behind because of Smith, but the loss was a team effort. To suggest that the only glaring individual errors that game were by Smith is just plain dishonest.

I feel like people just enjoy these assassination threads and willingly get carried away, knowing full well that they aren't necessarily being fair.

Nah, when you were the better team and still lost the game then your goalie sucks

If Smith didnt let in the cheap goals, we might have won 1-0 like we did last night.

 

[DFF]

I know, but I think it's a little silly to take that quote by Smith and read it as though he's saying his play has had no effect. He's just admitting that he's lucky that the team has been able to pile up wins without him playing well. Obviously every goalie around the league can look at their game and know that they could technically be undefeated if they stopped more pucks.

I think it's a good frame of mind for Smith to be in, because hopefully it lets him relax a bit. He's a guy who really gets off his game if he thinks he needs to do more than he can. If he can maintain an attitude of just helping the team and staying within himself, I like his chances of eventually finding his form.

Sound like our starting goalie needs a psychologist?

 

[Kahvi]

Sound like our starting goalie needs a psychologist?

Not sure whether you were joking or not, but sport psychologists can do wonders to players

 

[DFF]

Not sure whether you were joking or not, but sport psychologists can do wonders to players

I know....the Flames goaltending psychologist must not have been very good...we have our shares of failures with Hiller, Elliot and now Smith

 

[Anglesmith]

I know....the Flames goaltending psychologist must not have been very good...we have our shares of failures with Hiller, Elliot and now Smith

There's a common theme there with bringing in older goalies who were given up on by their prior team. It's not a recipe for success in general.

Smith was excellent last year, though. The concern with him was and is how long before his aging body just can't do what it needs to anymore.

 

[DFF]

There's a common theme there with bringing in older goalies who were given up on by their prior team. It's not a recipe for success in general.

Smith was excellent last year, though. The concern with him was and is how long before his aging body just can't do what it needs to anymore.

Yeah but they didnt just get worse...the wheels completely fell off ...

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

We scored two goals. To say our offence was good enough is disingenuous.

We scored two goals and allowed only 24 shots. When those two facts are true we should never be losing in regulation unless the chances against are egregious of the two-on-oh or breakaway sort - and against Anaheim, they most certainly were not.

 

[Anglesmith]

We scored two goals and allowed only 24 shots. When those two facts are true we should never be losing in regulation unless the chances against are egregious of the two-on-oh or breakaway sort - and against Anaheim, they most certainly were not.

League average goaltending (this year at least) would give the other team 2 goals on 24 shots, so scoring two goals in any game is relying too much on goaltending IMO. This has always been a 3-2 league in recent years, and this year it might be a 4-3 league.

Had the Flames been better in the offensive end, they would have won the game. Had Smith been better in the defensive end, they would have won the game. If the (team) defence hadn't made a critical error in the third right after tying the game up, they would have won the game (or at least, most likely). All of these things can be true, and I'm not sure why that gives people such fits.

 

[Byron Bitz]

Hello Flames fans, I come in peace. Wasn’t sure where to post this but I wanted to ask if you think David Rittich is on the verge of stealing the starting job from Mike Smith? I need to pick up a goalie for my fantasy team and think he might be a good option.

 

[Anglesmith]

Hello Flames fans, I come in peace. Wasn’t sure where to post this but I wanted to ask if you think David Rittich is on the verge of stealing the starting job from Mike Smith? I need to pick up a goalie for my fantasy team and think he might be a good option.

It all depends on Mike Smith. Rittich isn't going to steal the job away from Mike Smith just based on his own good play. Smith needs to force the Flames to not play him. Smith's last game was good, and he's being given another start even though Rittich's last game was a shutout. So, I think that's your answer right there.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

It all depends on Mike Smith. Rittich isn't going to steal the job away from Mike Smith just based on his own good play. Smith needs to force the Flames to not play him. Smith's last game was good, and he's being given another start even though Rittich's last game was a shutout. So, I think that's your answer right there.

It's in CGY's longterm best interest for Rittich to be given a chance to start. But trust isn't built in a day. he will need to keep plugging away.

 

[Rubi]

I think Smith's rope is very short. I think if he plays poorly tonight Rittich will get the next start. Then the ball will be in Rittich's court. If Rittich plays well he could very well become the Flames starter for a number of games in the near future.

 

[Nanuuk]

I think Rittich will transition to the defacto #1 job sometime this winter. The Flames will resign Smitty to a lesser amount next year and he will be the back up until someone graduates from the farm.

Alternatively, Smitty regains his form and Rittich falters. No one is ready to graduate from the farm. Then Tre either makes a trade or searches for a RFA/UFA.

 

[JPeeper]

Someone on CP made a Kipper thread and I was watching some old clips of him on YouTube and now I am depressed.

It seems like so long ago we had an elite goalie who could out duel any goalie in the league on every night.

 

[Rubi]

The Flames in their 38 year history have never drafted and developed an elite goaltender. They lucked out in a trade with SJ when they acquired Kipper. SJ obviously didn't know what they had and I'm not sure the Flames did either... maybe Sutter might have had an inkling.
The closest the Flames have come to their own homegrown elite goalie is Mike Vernon, and I don't consider him to be elite. Good, but not elite.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

The Flames in their 38 year history have never drafted and developed an elite goaltender. They lucked out in a trade with SJ when they acquired Kipper. SJ obviously didn't know what they had and I'm not sure the Flames did either... maybe Sutter might have had an inkling.
The closest the Flames have come to their own homegrown elite goalie is Mike Vernon, and I don't consider him to be elite. Good, but not elite.

This is actually not quite true. Doug Wilson said he was aware Kipper was a top talent but he was never going to get a shot there playing behind Nabokov. Anyways Darryl obviously knew the same which is why he paid a 2nd for him. A 2nd for unproven goalie is a lot!

 

[InfinityIggy]

The Flames in their 38 year history have never drafted and developed an elite goaltender. They lucked out in a trade with SJ when they acquired Kipper. SJ obviously didn't know what they had and I'm not sure the Flames did either... maybe Sutter might have had an inkling.
The closest the Flames have come to their own homegrown elite goalie is Mike Vernon, and I don't consider him to be elite. Good, but not elite.

Well, Nabokov and if you can believe it Toskala were really highly touted at the time. SJ essentially had an embarrassment of riches in net at the time. Obviously they traded the wrong guy but they did get a 2nd in return which ain’t bad, they were obviously not selling him for scraps.