Heading into the season, not much was thought this Coyotes team. They had been bounced from the playoffs in the first round for the second straight year, and were expected to lose franchise goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov to free agency.
Phoenix forewent any sort of free agency for Bryzgalov, and after they were unable to get anywhere near an agreement on a new contract, the team shipped him to the Philadelphia Flyers and let them work out a new deal.
While they did lose a few other players to free agency, such as Vernon Fiddler and Eric Belanger, as well as the mind-blowing Kyle Turris holdout, most were unable to shake the gaping hole in the crease that was left by Bryzgalov.
The fact that the Coyotes were among the top of the league in the amount of shots they allow worried many, as a stopgap goaltender, like backup Jason LaBarbera, likely wouldn’t be able to hold up if he was peppered with shots game after game.
Enter Mike Smith.
The Coyotes brought in the former Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender on a two-year contract this summer and figured he would share much of the load with LaBarbera between the pipes.
Smith was among those on a thin free agent market among goaltenders, with the except of Tomas Vokoun. Despite a checkered injury history, Smith was solid when he did play for Tampa Bay last season. He posted a 2.89 GAA and won 13 games in 20 starts for the Bolts.
His Coyotes debut was certainly a dubious one. While they weren’t all his fault, Smith allowed six goals (on 52 shots, mind you) as the Coyotes were decimated by the Sharks in their season opener.
Since then, Smith has been on a role, as have the Coyotes. Smith is 5-2-2 on the season, with a 2.40 GAA and 9.27 save percentage. What’s most impressive about his roll is how he’s played in his last four starts.
In his last four, Smith has allowed a combined eight goals, three of those coming against the New Jersey Devils, in what was a win for Phoenix. His last two have been nothing short of brilliant, as he stopped 34 of 36 shots in a win over the Los Angeles Kings last weekend, before stoning the Colorado Avalanche on 39 of their 40 shots, in Denver.
Much to the dismay of Jason LaBarbera, who likely thought he had a chance to see some increased time this season, Mike Smith has established himself as this team’s goaltender in the early going. He’s started nine of the team’s 11 games, five of which have been part of the team’s six wins.
It’s a small sample space, to be sure, but it looks as if the Coyotes have found a solution in net that cost them a cap hit of just $2 million. As the team continues to embrace their “Hockey the Hard Way” mantra, Smith and the Phoenix squad are surprising us all again, even if it isn’t always the prettiest two points.
