There was hope that Holland would be able to find an upgrade on Smith for Edmonton’s goalie tandem but that didn’t happen.
Robin Lehner re-signed with Vegas before free agency began, Anthon Khudobin ended up back in Dallas, and the team kicked tires on Jacob Markstrom but he ended up inking a massive six-year deal worth $36 million with the Calgary Flames. It seems that Thomas Greiss and Corey Crawford, who both netted two-year deals, were also out of Holland’s ideal price range.
To be honest, this isn’t really that surprising. Dave Tippett is familiar with Smith and, for better or worse, trusts him in the net. The organization also seems to believe that he’s a positive veteran to have on the team.
Smith was a mixed bag last year. He got off to a nice start, went cold in November and December and looked like he was washed, and then heated up again after the turn of the new year. What fans will most remember from his 2019-20 season, though, was his miserable showing in Game 1 of the play-in round against Chicago.
Harry Miller is a writer and editor based in Toronto who has Ten years of experience in the journalism industry. Before coming to Canada News Media as a National Online Journalist, Miller worked as a senior writer and a reporter-editor with the Canadian Press and a breaking news reporter with the Toronto Star.
Miller currently holds two bachelor’s degrees, one in journalism from Ryerson University and another in communications and film studies from Carleton University.