So far through the 2018-19 season, Mike Smith has had quite a journey.
At first, he was the Flames’ undisputed starter. When the cracks started to show, David Rittich got a few more games in – but Smith was still the starter, the logic being he’d be able to play himself out of his funk. He couldn’t, though, and it got to the point he was singlehandedly costing the Flames games. Soon enough, he was relegated to Rittich’s backup.
It was completely earned; while Rittich is near the top in the league’s save percentage (both in all situations and at even strength), Smith is right at the bottom.