The Calgary Flames made a move Saturday in an attempt to shore up a position that has been the club's Achilles heel since Mikka Kiprusoff retired in 2013.
Veteran netminder Mike Smith was acquired in a deal with the Arizona Coyotes, and with two years remaining on his current contract, Smith becomes the No. 1 goalie in Cowtown for the foreseeable future.
Whether that's a good thing for Flames fans remains to be seen, but Smith does provide a sense of stability that general manager Brad Treliving has been searching for the past four years.
While Smith's acquisition probably isn't getting Flames fans as excited as, let's say, landing Marc-Andre Fleury would have been, Smith can still be a viable option for a Calgary squad bursting at the seams with talent.
Related: Flames GM: Smith has ability to put team on his back
Sure, Smith hasn't played a full season in his career, he's 35, and has limited playoff experience - 17 starts and nine wins - but, he's been playing in Arizona the past six seasons. And, despite playing on a perennial bottom-feeding club like the Coyotes, Smith was still able to post solid numbers - a fact that should have some folks in Calgary sleeping a little easier.
Over his six seasons in the desert, Smith recorded 22 shutouts while posting a .916 save percentage to go along with a 2.69 GAA.
The former fifth-round pick of the Dallas Stars should have a much easier time manning the Flames' crease, as Calgary boasts a talented trio of elite defensemen - T.J. Brodie, Mark Giordano, and Dougie Hamilton - that helped contribute to the Flames allowing only 2.67 goals-against per game.
Calgary qualified for the postseason last year with Chad Johnson as the go-to guy in the blue paint. So what's stopping a guy like Smith from carrying the team even farther?
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