I don't think keeping Smith makes us a better team. Especially not when it would be at 3.5-3.75 million dollars.
It's mind-boggling to me that we are even entertaining this... when we already have E locked in at 4.25, Abby locked in at 4.25, Helm at 3.85, Dekeyser at 5.00, Howard at 5.25...
Like how many bad contracts do you guys want on this team? Play the kids making 800-900K and live with what you get. If you get cheap, good young players out-performing their contracts... great. If they suck and they help you get high draft picks... great. Last thing we need is more bad contracts.
The idea wasn't adding to those contracts, it was moving those contracts however possible instead. Is Smith better than E? Yeah, I think so, largely because E is hobbled and can't seem to play his game for an entire season any more. Same with Kronwall. I think Smith is better than the kids, too. So, move E. Move Kronwall, despite how much of an anathema such a move would be for Holland. Keep Smith and plug him into the group with the kids (so something like Green, Dekeyser, Smith, kiddie carousel).
This board slams the team for being a country club and what not, part of that is not making the hard decision that these vets we want to be loyal to don't play well enough to make that loyalty at all workable. And we're now standing to lose better players because of it.
Howard was not a backup when he was signed to that deal. By any reasonable estimation... Mrazek would just be starting as the backup in Detroit this year. Mrazek shooting up like a rocket doesn't change that Howard didn't sign a backup's contract.
How many highly touted goalies have flamed out after one great season? Or big time prospects flare out in the minors and play like garbage in the big time.
This one will always stick in my craw. The contract for Howard was not a bad one when it was signed and it should not retroactively become a bad one because Mrazek surpassed expectations.
There are several deals that made zero sense from the day they were drawn up, like Abby and Helm. Howard's was a deal that looks exponentially worse because a prospect exceeded expectations.
Yeah, I've never had a problem with Howard's contract. I don't want to carry it AND Mrazek's, but that doesn't mean Howard is crazy overpaid or anything. His injury troubles since the contract was signed don't help, but when he's been healthy he's largely been a good goalie. At times quite a bit better than good. And we've since seen goalie contracts surpass him and push his deal to the middle of the pack.
It's okay to want to move the guy and his contract without the guy or the contract being "bad."
