If “instability” is a scary word for NHL coaches and GMs who crave predictability, structure, and control, “instability in goal” is traumatic terror fuel. The Calgary Flames’ attempt to end the recurring nightmare of unreliability at that position was a big gamble on Mike Smith, who, appropriately, is all-in on just about any on-ice risk a goalie could take.



This is the Mike Smith Calgary fans were hoping to get:



And this is the Mike Smith Calgary fans were worried they’d end up with:



The results so far? After the first of two seasons Calgary inherited on Smith’s contract, the gamble is paying off in aggregate, with the kind of wild swings in small samples that give coaches heart attacks.



One reason Smith was able to improve upon his previous two seasons of good results in Arizona, despite turning 36 and entering an entirely new systems environment, was the quality of the defence in front of him at 5-on-5.