Calgary Flames must answer questions in the crease
The Calgary Flames must solve their goaltending dilemma this summer.
The Calgary Flames are entering the 2019 offseason with lots of questions on their minds. Fans are still snake bit from the early first-round exit at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche. The number one question on everyone’s mind in Calgary, though, is who will be the starting netminder heading into the 2019-20 campaign?
David Rittich enters this offseason with a very impressive 2018-2019 season behind him. He put up a .911 save percentage in his 45 games played, where he went a remarkable 27-9-5. That’s not all for Rittich. He earned himself a pretty humbling nickname in Cowtown too – “Big Save Dave”.
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Flames fans must be feeling awfully thankful for Rittich too, as he bailed out the Flames while Mike Smith had a frustrating first couple of months in the crease. The 37-year-old Smith did, however, turn his season around in the month of February, as he finished the year with a 23-16-2 record.
Smith also had some very impressive moments during the Flames’ short-lived, five-game playoff run. It had been a very long time since I’ve heard the Saddledome faithful chant “Smitty, Smitty, Smitty” after he put out some textbook playoff Mike Smith saves.
The question remains. – with two goaltenders who have proven they have the abilities to handle the starting position, who will it be? Well, Smith’s age may be a possible concern for the Flames. He will be 38 next season, while Rittich is just 26.
Some are wondering if Smith would even want to stick around in Calgary if he was a backup. Calgary really didn’t have a defined starting goalie last season. Head coach Bill Peters played them with the “win and you’re in” mindset, and it seemed to work for his team and kept both goaltenders competitive.
The Flames may very well offer Smith a one-year deal if it’s in their best interest, but for a much lower price. Smith was earning a little over $5.6 million a year over the last six seasons, and he is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
Rittich, on the other hand, is about to earn himself a decent sized salary after the year he had. He signed just a one deal in July of 2018 for $800,000, and he is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
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Hockey analyst Elliotte Friedman jumped on Sportsnet radio in Calgary earlier this year and says he believes David Rittich is the long term answer for the Flames. Friedman might be right based on Rittich’s stellar season, but it will be interesting to see what goaltending tandem the Flames have on the ice for next season. No matter what happens here in Flame land, any goaltending news this summer is sure to make a splash.