With Smith out, this gives Anders Lindback a chance to show the Arizona Coyotes what he can do as a starter.
The Arizona Coyotes announced today that their starting goalie Mike Smith underwent successful surgery to repair a core muscle injury in his lower abdomen. Captain Shane Doan had similar surgery done during the 2013 off-season, and skaters recover more quickly than goalies do.
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He is expected to be back before the end of the season, but according to Head Coach Dave Tippett that doesn’t mean his idea of what the team can accomplish has changed. It’s definitely a blow to the team, but Lindback has shown he can play when he’s been put between the pipes in Smith’s place.
For the time being Louis Domingue will be the backup, and GM Don Maloney may explore trade, or waiver options for a goalie, if need be. He told arizonasports.com Craig Morgan:
"”We had not been looking at goaltending per se, in acquiring somebody else, but that will be something that we will at least have to give a little attention to see if there’s something out there that makes us a little stronger. This to me, is not a panic situation. We’re going to take our time. Louis is right at the stage where he can play some games. If they don’t get the job done then we can find someone else.”"
But, what if Smith doesn’t mend up too well? What if at his age (33) he comes back and doesn’t play any better, or even at the same level? The Arizona Coyotes will need to explore other options, as was written here by Howlin’ Hockey staff writer Chris Reid recently. What if Lindback starts playing like former backup Devon Dubnyk? What will GM Maloney do then?
It is just too bad with an injury like this hitting the team after they have played well enough to be in a playoff spot so far this season. Can Lindback rally them enough to keep it going? Will Domingue be adequate enough to sustain Lindback to give him some needed rest?
These are the questions which will define if the Arizona Coyotes will be playing in late April, or home fishing.
While he’s at it Maloney may want to search for another defenseman to help Lindback succeed. The problem with that is, other teams are also searching for a good blue-liner. With Connor Murphy losing some of his appeal to the coaching staff, and Michael Stone not really the ideal partner for Oliver Ekman-Larsson, there is some room to make a deal or two.
Next: Arizona Coyotes Should Move To Lindback Now
The team has plenty of young prospect forwards in their farm system, but really besides Philip Samuelson, the pickings are slim when it comes to defensemen.
Lindback should be fine, and seems to play a better positional game than Smith; he doesn’t wander out of his net to take over defensemen duties as often as Smith has done in his career.
In another move, just in… the Arizona Coyotes made a trade with the Montreal Canadiens. The Coyotes sent forward Lucas Lessio to Montreal for forward Christian Thomas. Lessio was playing for the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate Springfield Falcons, where recollected 12 points in 24 games. Thomas had two assists in five games with the Canadians, and 14 points in 18 games with the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps.
Interesting move… wonder what else GM Don Maloney is up to?