Those trade rumors swirling around Mike Smith this week weren't rumors after all.
The Yotes' starter bid farewell to Glendale today, heading to Calgary in exchange for a conditional third-round pick, prospect defenseman Brandon Hickey, and the rights to Calgary backup Chad Johnson. The Coyotes will also retain 25% of Smith's cap hit and salary in the deal.
On the face of it, this is a strange deal for the Coyotes and indeed the Flames, too. Arizona loses their starting netminder for a relatively low return, but the Flames gain an expensive netminder when they already arguably had a starter in Brian Elliott.