Could the crowded goalie trade market get even busier?
With Ben Bishop, Marc-Andre Fleury and Jaroslav Halak all potentially available in the lead up to the March 1 NHL trade deadline, another goalie who is having a better season than all three and still has term on his contract could also land on the block. That is, if he decides to let his team proceed with a trade.
Mike Smith, 34, is having one of his better seasons from the past five years, posting a .917 save percentage and 2.85 GAA for a Coyotes team that averages the most shots against in the league. He has two more seasons beyond this one left on his contract with a $5.6 million cap hit, but also has a no-trade clause so he has the final say on any potential deal.
And so far at least, he’s not considering leaving Arizona.
“I haven’t even – I haven’t gone there,” Smith told Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic. “I haven’t gone there.” [sidebar]
Smith went on to say that he doesn’t know whether or not he would waive the clause if the Coyotes asked. “I’m happy,” he said.
The Coyotes franchise holds a special place for Smith, because when he first landed with the team in 2011, he became an outright No. 1 NHL goalie for the first time. In previous stops with the Stars and Lightning, Smith shared duties. Prior to joining the Coyotes as a 29-year-old, Smith’s career high games played was 42 — since joining the Coyotes he hasn’t played in fewer than 62 in a full season without injury.
Arizona is also special to Smith because three of his four kids were born there. The security he got when the team re-signed him to a six-year deal in 2013 was important to him on a personal level.
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The Coyotes have made one playoff appearance with Smith, making it all the way to the Western Conference final in 2012. And now as they are set in a rebuild, the future of the veteran goalie will come into question around the trade deadline. And although Smith said he hasn’t thought about waiving his no-trade clause yet, he acknowledges the goal is to be in a position to win, which he still believes the Coyotes will be over the next two years.
“Obviously, everyone wants to be in a position to win and get in the playoffs and be a competitive team and that’s no different for me,” he said. “I think I want to be in a position to have a chance to win before my career’s over, but I feel like this is moving in the right direction. Things can turn around fairly quickly here. I want to be a big part of that.”
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