Don't give up on Auston Matthews yet, Arizona Coyotes fans. The news Tuesday that starting netminder Mike Smith will miss the next 8-10 weeks after suffering a core injury and undergoing a surgical procedure should put a damper on the team's surprisingly positive play and may very well push the Coyotes back into the shame spiral and the race for the first pick in the 2016 NHL Draft from whence they came.
NEWS: Mike Smith had a core muscle injury that required surgery. He underwent successful surgery today. His recovery time is 8-10 weeks.
— ArizonaCoyotesNews (@AZCoyotesNews) December 15, 2015
Of course Smith, despite his track record and hefty cap hit, hasn't exactly been great for the 'Yotes between the pipes this season. Through 22 starts, the 33-year-old Smith has a .901 save percentage and a 3.06 goals against average. He's just 10-9-1 and really hasn't been much in the way of a positive presence for Dave Tippett's group. Much of that can be blamed on the team in front of him, but there's no denying that Smith hasn't been up to snuff.
Really, it's absolutely mind-boggling that the Coyotes find themselves in second in the Pacific Division behind the Los Angeles Kings at this point (albeit as part of a three-way tie and just three points from the division basement). Yes, the forward corps is much-improved, thanks in large part to the stellar nightly efforts of a one, Mr. Max Domi. Domi, just 20, has been brutal to defend this season. Through 30 games he's got 10 goals and 15 assists and hasn't showed any sign of slowing.
But the rest of Tippett's roster is lacking in talent - in some areas, seriously so - and it says so much more about the state of the Pacific that the Coyotes remain in the thick of things despite Smith's mediocre play and the fact that the team has now won just one game in their last seven contests, than it does about Arizona.
Losing Smith is a blow though, and one that could spell an end to what little hopes Coyotes fans had.
