What is the mean or “back to earth” for DeSmith though? He had a .923 save percentage in college, .915 in the ECHL and .919 in the AHL. I wouldn’t describe his development as being “thrown to the wolves” but he wasn’t really handled with an NHL future in mind and didn’t get the coddling and kid gloves of actual prospects like Jarry but he still outperformed him basically all the time.
Also $1.25 million is probably low even for an average backup these days, so if there’s a drop in his play it’s not a huge deal. Kinkaid makes the same amount, Kuemper $1.8, Aaron Dell makes $1.9, Khudobin $2.5, Bernier $3 and Reimer $3.4. Any backup making less is probably still on an ELC.
And Brent Johnson was an excellent backup [and made then about what DeSmith will be making next season when considering cap inflation I’ll bet] until age and injuries turned him into garbage. DeSmith is 27 so, yeah there’s not huge upside but his body shouldn’t be breaking down anytime soon.
And it’s pretty low risk since a good chunk of the deal can be buried in the minors if his game does suddenly go to ****.