Colorado Avalanche Should Keep Playing Jeremy Smith

Though goalie Jeremy Smith has no future in the NHL, the Colorado Avalanche should let him have a chance to play a few more games.

If the number-one pick in the NHL draft were still based on record, the Colorado Avalanche would have it in the bag. Instead they’ll have to depend on a lottery system in which they have a just under 18% chance of winning the number-one selection.

As of right now, those are the best odds they have for anything good coming of this season. They’ve gone 20-50-3 so far.

The 50th loss came from backup backup backup goalie Jeremy Smith. (If you consider Spencer Martin backup to Calvin Pickard, and Picks backup to Semyon Varlamov.) He’s now 1-6 with his lone win coming at home against the Buffalo Sabres.

Smith has a 3.78 goals against average and a .878 save percentage, both of which are the worst on the team. Jeremy just isn’t good enough to be an NHL goalie.

Which is why the Colorado Avalanche should throw a couple more games his way before the end of the season.

This idea came to me as I was lamenting the latest loss, a 7-4 embarrassment to the Edmonton Oilers in which the Avs blew yet another third period lead.

Two of those goals were empty netters, but that still left Jeremy Smith with a .793 save percentage. And, yes, per usual the team fell apart in front of him. However, Smith lost track of the puck several times, and twice that resulted in goals.

Here’s a goal that comes when he can’t track the puck:

And here he loses it completely:

Let’s face it, he looked pretty bad in this one, too:

He looks pretty lost here, too:

I don’t want to pile on Jeremy Smith. Not every hockey player is good enough for the NHL. In fact, the vast majority of them are not — most aren’t even good enough for any professional team.

Jeremy Smith is — for the minors. However, there’s a reason he got to the ripe old age (in pro sports) of 27 before ever getting a chance in the NHL. And that is that he’s not an NHL goalie.

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So what? Most nights the Colorado Avalanche don’t look like an NHL team. And that’s not in any way Jeremy Smith’s fault.

As I was getting ready for bed after that awful third-period collapse, I was ranting that the Avs should call up Spencer Martin and send Smith back down. Then I got to thinking — why?

The goal tending controversy involves Calvin Pickard and Semyon Varlamov. One of those goalies must be exposed in the expansion draft. Right now, Pickard has the best stats of any Avs goalie — 2.88 goals against average and .909 save percentage. He’s making a strong case to be the protected goalie come June, especially since his $1 million contract through 2018 is legions better than Varlomov’s $5.9 million through 2019.

In case either Varlamov or Pickard is picked up by the Las Vegas Knights, Spencer Martin is the go-to backup. That’s pretty much been decided, though losing Varlamov may prompt the team to pick up a veteran NHL goalie to back up Calvin.

In a season with games still worth playing, Jeremy Smith isn’t going to figure in. So, why not give the man a chance to live his dream?

The Colorado Avalanche’s record doesn’t matter — they’re finishing last by a fair margin (20 points at the time of writing). Playing for pride and the logo has also pretty much gone out the window.

Next: The Future for John Mitchell

So, I say Colorado gives Smith a couple more games, or even three to make his grand total 10 NHL games. You don’t necessarily want them to be “important” games, like the last of the season.

Instead, give him a couple consecutive games, say against the Flames in Calgary and the Washington Capitals at home. Then, let him start against the also-not-playoff-bound Dallas Stars in Dallas.

The Colorado Avalanche don’t have much else to play for. Let Jeremy Smith have his dream moment in his career.

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