Flames GM: Smith has ability to put team on his back

Brad Treliving leaned on personal knowledge with respect to the goalie he traded for Saturday.

The Calgary Flames general manager pulled off a deal to acquire Mike Smith from the Arizona Coyotes, the team he worked for prior to moving north, and Treliving believes Smith has what it takes to carry the Flames to the next level.

"Mike Smith has the ability to put a team on his back," Treliving said, per George Johnson of the Flames' official website. "This is a guy who's highly competitive. As athletic as anyone I've ever been around. And really, really driven. I know this player, what he brings."

The fact that Smith is 35 and in the later stages of his career wasn't enough to dissuade the GM.

"You're cognizant of (Smith's age), no question," he said. "There's no question it's a consideration. One thing I'll say, Mike's an elite athlete. He looks after himself as well as anybody and if you look at his career, he was a late starter. He doesn't necessarily have the mileage some guys do at that age.

"(Age) was something we had a lot of discussion about but in the end it wasn't something we felt was an impediment."

Smith was a huge part of the equation when the Coyotes went to the Western Conference Final in 2012, and, more recently, he was named to Canada's 2014 Olympic team as the third option in net. Smith also represented Arizona at the 2017 NHL All-Star Game.

Time will tell what he's able to accomplish with the Flames in the two years he remains under contract.