Calgary Flames: How can they fix their goaltending issues?

The Calgary Flames have a revamped offense and stable blue line, but the questions in net still linger. How can the Flames finally answer their goaltending question marks?

In recent years, stopping pucks for the Calgary Flames has been as difficult as invading Russia in winter or putting a man on the moon. The Flames are by no means the only team with goaltending issues. However, the team in is in the unique circumstance of winning games despite abysmal goaltending.

There are annually a handful of teams could vault themselves into Stanley Cup contention if they could ‘just get goaltending.’ Recent memory has found the Flames annually in that group. Their save percentage in the post-Miikka Kiprusoff era is a mediocre .907. The Flames have managed only a league average save percentage once in that period, often not even coming close.

It is become painfully obvious the Mike Smith experiment has simply not worked. The eye test, basic stats, and advance numbers are all on the same side of this one, and they all signal that Smith’s days as a starting NHL goalie are over. Smith’s save percentage as a Flame sits at .910, but has dropped to .879 to start the 2018 campaign, including some of the leagues worst low and mid-danger numbers.

Data via Corsica.

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With backup goaltender David Rittich currently surging, perhaps Calgary could stick with their current tandem, but the Flames aren’t attached to Smith past the 2018-19 campaign and have multiple internal and external opportunities to fix their goaltending issues, for today and tomorrow.

Enough with the reclamation projects and lottery tickets. The Flames need a goalie and they need to get one by any means necessary.

Trade

The issue with this route is there is almost never any motivation for a team to trade a quality goaltender. However, like Vegas, the Seattle expansion could create the potential environment for some movement.

While it is almost always foolish to play armchair GM (no matter how fun), one name that immediately stands out is Cory Schneider from the New Jersey Devils. With Keith Kinkaid surging, and Schneider seemingly floundering for the third straight season, the Devils could be looking to move his long-term $6 million cap hit.

Due to the cap hit, it is possible Schneider could be pried away with moving a top pick. However, with Schneider, and some of the names listed below, the question arises if they are a true upgrade over current internal options.

Other names that could interest the Flames to varying degrees are James Reimer, Craig Anderson, or Jimmy Howard.

Free Agency

The 2019 free agent market contains a few non-Mike Smith names that, assuming they get to the open market, should interest the Flames. The first and most obvious name is two time Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky. With youngster Joonas Korpisalo expected to eventually take over the goal in Columbus, the Blue Jackets could let the face of their franchise walk. Bobrovsky could be a candidate for a trade if the Jackets were to part ways, but if he was to hit the market any team would have to outrageously overpay for his services.

Assuming the Flames elect not to trade for Schneider, the New Jersey Devils could be forced to let their other goaltender, Keith Kinkaid, walk. Schneider and Kinkaid have taken turns wrestling the starting job from each other for the past few seasons, and the latter has proved that he can handle a starter’s workload. If the price for Bobrovsky reaches Carey Price territory, or the net-minder never touches the open market, Kinkaid could be a more attainable option.

Other current pending UFAs that the Flames should be interested in include Cam Talbot, Semyon Varlamov, and Robin Lehner.

The Kids

At varying points over the last two seasons, John Gillies and Tyler Parsons were seen as the future Flames netminder. The pairs development has taken a hit in recent months, and awful starts to 2018 haven’t helped either. ‘

However, goalie development is never a sure thing, and often volatile, so one or both of the young goalies could easily turn into viable NHL assets. Gillies has had a crack at the NHL level with limited success, but Parsons has yet to earn that opportunity.

With a Flames core that is clearly ready to compete today, a big turnaround to 2018-19 for Gillies and Parsons would go a long way in helping their future viability in Calgary.

Trust In Rittich

2018 has been tough for basically every Flames puck stopper except for one, 26-year-old David Rittich. Rittich has done everything in his power to take the starting job from Smith, but has had to settle for split starts to date. Starting the year at with a .927 save percentage, there is reason to believe that regression will come for the Czech goaltender. Rittich owns a Corsica ‘Expected Save percentage’ much closer to his career mark, at .910, and has only started more than 35 professional games in a season once his his career.

While Rittich could possibly produce the average goaltending the Flames need to earn a playoff spot, it would be hard to see Calgary’s brass confident with him as the long term puck stopper, though continuing his stellar start could change their minds.