Keep M. Smith, or drop for Rittich?

[wscinc]

Hi All,

Topic says it all. I'm in a keeper league that tracks standard goalie stats. W, GAA, SV%, SO.

Since came back from injury last year, Smith has been mediocre (awful). His counting stats in the above are bottom of the league. Rittich, last year, was not much better as a starter. However, this year, his numbers are excellent and he certainly passes the eye test as the better of the two goalies.

Last year, a similar situation occurred in Winnipeg with the Mason / Hellebuyck tandem. Mason put together a string of sub par games, and was eventually supplanted by Hellebuyck. I'm wondering if this might be something to consider with the Smith / Rittich situation this year.

Smith's game last night was no good, despite a strong defensive game from the Flames. If the Flames had consistent goaltending this year, they would be in the conversation for leading the league in points.

Do you drop Smith and pick up Rittich?

My goaltending stable at the moment is Luongo, Crawford, Saros, Smith.

Thanks!

[stevegamer]

I'd make that move. I'm sure Smith will hang out on waivers if you need to reverse it for some reason, short of Rittich being out for the year.

The Mason/Hellebuyck thing is similar, except for Winnipeg signing Mason - who can't handle tandems or threats to him bieng the starter - when they already had a better goalie in-house. That was a crazy decision.

[noglovenolove]

This move seems a bit premature to me. I watch a lot of Flames games and, yes, Smith might be on the verge of losing his gig it hasn't really happened yet.

[Seeds of Grapes]

Also, are we sure that Rittich is the G of the future? They still have Gillies.

[lucafen4]

Also, are we sure that Rittich is the G of the future? They still have Gillies.

and Parsons...

yeah, i'm not a big fan of dropping 1a for 1b. That could be an revolving door on the starter this year. At his salary, if Smith has a good start - he gets the next one.. and the next one.

[pmorrow]

I would wait it out. You goaltending is pretty good so you can weather a few storms. I have both guys, but I get the feeling Calgary really wants Smith to get his groove back. The way he plays the puck really helps them get out of their zone. He just has to stop the puck a bit more. Also keep in mind Rittich was pretty mediocre last year and wasn't even guaranteed to be the backup, so...I'd wait and see a bit longer.

[wscinc]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Really appreciate it.

I'll take the wait and see approach!