FLAMES, OILERS STRIKE A DEAL!
The Calgary Flames acquired defenseman Ladislav Smid and goaltender Olivier Roy from the Edmonton Oilers for forward Roman Horak and goaltender Laurent Brossoit.
What does it give the Calgary Flames
This is only the second time in the history of the NHL that Alberta rivals Calgary and Edmonton have made an official trade. In Smid, the Flames land a quality stay-at-home defenseman who should fit in well with their collection of solid puck movers at the back end. He has three seasons left on his contract, too, so Smid will be a part of Calgary's overall retooling going forward. This was a solid deal for the Flames, both for the immediate future and down the road.
What does it give the Edmonton Oilers
It's hard to understand Edmonton's thought process on this one. Smid was clearly traded for monetary reasons, as the Oilers need to move salary in order to sign veteran netminder {P Ilya Bryzgalov}. However, Smid was thought to be a fixture in Edmonton, while Bryzgalov is likely to be strictly a short-term Band-Aid solution to their goaltending woes. Eventually, the key to this deal might become Brossoit, a young goalie with good long-range potential.
Fantasy impact
Smid isn't much of an offensive threat, no matter what jersey he wears. Therefore, his fantasy value should remain exactly the same. Horak might be able to find his niche with the Oilers, so he becomes an intriguing dark horse at this point. Brossoit has obvious long-term keeper value and may now be considered Edmonton's goaltender of the future (especially if {P Devan Dubnyk} loses the starting job to Bryzgalov in the coming weeks).
