Mike Smith’s run as the starting goaltender for the Arizona Coyotes officially ended with the trade that sent him to the Calgary Flames this weekend. The deal may not make complete sense for the Calgary Flames, but for Smith it represents a new opportunity to compete in the NHL after years of representing mediocre teams in Arizona.
That’s a fact Smith reflected on following the trade when he was asked about his six seasons with the Coyotes.
Mike Smith: "I can't really complain about my time in Arizona other than we kind of failed as far as the winning part of it."
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) June 17, 2017
Ouch. Smith isn’t wrong – he played on some bad teams – but that’s probably not a fact the organization wanted to hear weeks after calling him their “rock” ahead of the trade.
That being said, the Coyotes didn’t hold back with their opinions about Smith either.
Coyotes GM John Chayka quickly pointed out that Smith is on the wrong side of his career at age 35.
Chayka says Smith is 35. "When some of our players are reaching their prime years, then he’s probably on the wrong side of his career."
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) June 17, 2017
He added that Smith was one of the more expensive options for the Coyotes and that may have held the team back from being able to build around their younger talent.
John Chayka: Smith "was an expensive option that in my mind came at the expense of the ability to add some players around our young players"
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) June 17, 2017
Both Chayka and Smith are accurate in their assessments, but it is noteworthy how quickly the attitudes shifted over the course of a couple weeks. Smith went from being the team’s “rock” to being an asset who is too expensive and prevents the team from building around its core.
These things tend to happen when a long-term player is moved, but it’s always fascinating to see how drastically the tone changes when a player is suddenly wearing a new uniform.
