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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Mike Smith assumed the mantle of most polarizing Coyote the day Keith Yandle was traded. It’s no surprise then that the more cynical or crass members of the Coyotes fan base were eagerly approaching Smith’s recent abdominal surgery as a chance to view other options in goal.

The Coyotes experienced the highs and lows of those possibilities in a two-game span. Anders Lindback allowed four goals on 10 shots before getting pulled in a 7-5 loss to Columbus on Thursday. Louis Domingue posted his first shutout on Saturday against the New York Islanders.

In Smith’s absence — his recovery time is estimated between eight and 10 weeks — Lindback and Domingue will shoulder the load for the time being, especially with the NHL’s holiday trade freeze now in effect until 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 28.

Smith’s injury will also have a butterfly effect on the rest of the organization, however, with Niklas Treutle taking over the primary duties with Springfield of the American Hockey League and Marek Langhammer moving from the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush to back up Treutle.

“That’s the good product out of getting Mike hurt,” said general manager Don Maloney, who would rather not be in this position. “Now all of a sudden, all these younger guys are going to get a chance to play and play a lot at the lower levels.”

Maloney said Wednesday that he would explore “everything and anything” on the trade market to see if the Coyotes can add another goalie. Maloney said the Coyotes identified nine teams with goalies that might be available, but after calling the teams’ GMs, many of those players were not actually available.

“If we had to get a goalie today there’s two that we could get but I’m not sure they’re any better; I’m not sure they’re an upgrade,” Maloney said. “If there’s a way to get a top-end goaltender that’s a long-term value to the franchise, we’re willing to pay up an asset for that. What I’m not going to do is pay up a good asset for the next three months.”

That means Lindback and Domingue will have a chance to prove themselves while Smith is out, with the team likely reassessing the situation periodically as it gets closer to the Feb. 29 trade deadline, which coincides with the back end of Smith’s projected return.

If one or both can play well, it’s unclear how that might affect Smith’s future, but Maloney gave a hint of the organization’s feelings on the subject on Wednesday.

“When we signed Mike to a six-year deal we were relatively comfortable that he was going to be our guy for at least four or five of those years,” Maloney said. “In the meantime we’ve been drafting and hopefully developing.”

Smith is currently in the third year of his $34 million deal, suggesting the Coyotes are wed to him for at least one more season, or more if he can elevate his play at least to the level he did in the first year of the deal when he posted a respectable .915 save percentage.

Maloney admitted, however, that Smith’s injury has led him to take a macro view of the organization.

“It’s making us look long-term at exactly where we are going with our goaltender plan,” he said. “It’s an area that we do plan to address: the whole goaltending plan, for lack of a better word.”

With Lindback only under contract through the rest of the season, Arizona must be realistic with the rest of its prospects. Domingue is the most experienced at age 23. Treutle is the oldest at 24, but he is in his first year of North American pro hockey. Langhammer is just 21 and the team’s third-round pick this season, Adin Hill is just 19.

Coyotes goalie coach Jon Elkin said goaltenders tend to take longer to develop than skaters because so much of goaltending is mental.

“The brain is the hardest thing to train,” Elkin said. “As we age, we know ourselves. We know what works and what doesn’t. Because goaltending is so psychological, so mental, so between the ears it’s important to know yourself; know what works and what doesn’t. That does take time for most individuals.”

With that in mind, Maloney said the Coyotes must address their organizational depth, much as they must do on defense where their system is thin and players also take longer to develop, if not as long as goalies. To do so, they will examine the NHL free-agent market, the European and college free-agent markets, and possible trades.

“There’s no question we believe in Mike. He’s a good goaltender, but it’s who are (our) No. 2 and No. 3 and do we have to be a lot stronger in those areas?” Maloney said. “I think we’ve had pretty good success here with the second guy, whether it was Thomas Greiss or Devan Dubnyk and now Anders. On the other hand, we don’t have that guy who comes in at 20 and 21 and now is at 23 or 24 — maybe we do in Louis — that everybody in the world says this guy’s the next No. 1 guy.

“That’s what we have to find.”

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