If You Needed any more Proof that Smith Is not the Goalie Tampa Thought He Was when They Traded for Him...

Let the jokes begin. For example, Mike Smith is sooo bad that Andrew Raycroft now has his job with the Dallas Stars. There are others, but nothing really exemplifies his suckiness as much as the video evidence from last night's 8-1 Boston Bruins bouncing of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Here is Dennis Seidenberg making him look like the plug he is. Smith ended up making 17 saves on 22 shots, further lowering his save percentage (but just barely) to .872 on the season. His goals-against average got a boost as well to 3.57.

Admittedly Dan Ellis wasn't any better last night, making just seven saves on 10 shots once Smith got the hook. Of course, it should be pointed out that Raycroft now has his job in Dallas as well, with Ellis once playing one game for the Stars in 2003-2004. Still, Ellis is signed beyond this year and Smith is going to be an unrestricted free agent, likely destined for a coaching job in some backwards golf-hungry island nation in the South Pacific that thinks the point of hockey is to score less points than your opponent. Because you know what they say: Those that can't do teach, and are named Mike Smith.

So, goaltending remains the one glaring position of weakness for the Lightning that hasn't had a name in net since 2003-2004 when Nikolai Khabibulin helped to lead the team to the Stanley Cup. The only conclusion to be made in regard to who has the inside track to the starting job in Tampa? Soon-to-be UFA Jean-Sebastien Giguere, of course... the dude that now has Raycroft's job in Toronto. It just makes sense.