Sarah McLellan

azcentral sports

Coyotes goalie Mike Smith's right knee is back to normal and has been for months.

The MCL sprain suffered March 24 that sidelined Smith for the remainder of the season and subsequently helped derail the Coyotes playoff hopes has completely healed.

"I feel really good about where I'm at right now," Smith said.

That might be the best news to emerge from the offseason because after the Coyotes offense took a hit this summer with the departures of Radim Vrbata and Mike Ribeiro — all while their Western Conference foes only seemed to add more offensive talent — Smith might be the most influential when it comes to determining the Coyotes playoff fate next season.

"I don't think it's going to affect us honestly that much," he said. "Obviously, it's two good players we lost. Vrby has been a guy for the last three years that I've been here that's just seemed to find ways to score, and Ribz is a guy that's creative. We're going to miss both those guys, but I look at it in a different way. We've added some players that bring a little more grit."

A case can be made that acquiring more size and muscle was a key offseason priority for the Coyotes but considering how the offense dried up in the most inopportune times last season (Smith's late-season absence coincided with a seven-game losing streak that saw the Coyotes score only nine goals in that span), goal scorers headlined the Coyotes' needs.

To be fair, it's unclear what type of impact the newbies will have offensively.

Center Joe Vitale and winger B.J. Crombeen will be penciled in the bottom-six, so center Sam Gagner is the most intriguing. He's topped 15 goals only twice in seven seasons, while Vrbata was a perennial 20-goal scorer. But many are expecting a change of scenery to be just the catalyst Gagner needs to reach the next stage of his career.

"In order for our team to be successful and how it's been successful in the past, we have to play well as a unit," Smith said. "We've gotten away from that the last couple of years, and I think the players that we've brought in will hold it all together."

But Smith's importance can't be diminished. Last season, Smith was in net for all but 10 of the Coyotes wins. Of his 27 victories, 16 came when he allowed two goals or fewer and had a save percentage above .930.

What's more, he was arguably playing his best hockey when he injured his knee after a collision in the crease with the Rangers' Derick Brassard.

"A month after the season I was totally fine," Smith said. "There was still some aches and pains that go along with it and same with getting back skating. There's always a little bit of discomfort, but it's nothing that's going to be harmful long-term."

Smith wore a knee brace for his first couple skates of the summer but has been without it ever since and doesn't plan on needing it during the season. Actually, his offseason workout plan focused on building his strength and that could potentially ward off similar injuries in the future.

Obviously, a healthy and capable Smith will be vital to combating the offense in the refurbished West — although Smith is hoping the competition won't be as potent as many anticipate.

"You know if you get too many good players on one team, it's not always a recipe for success," he said with a smile. "So I'm going with that motto. I think if you get too many good players in the Western Conference on all these teams, it could work the other way. I hope that's the way it is."