Smid will sit out season to recover from neck issues
Defenceman may work on projects with coaching and scouting staff
The man still has plenty of game left in his 30-year-old chassis.
But, unfortunately for Ladislav Smid, sitting out for the 2016-17 NHL season is the only conclusion for the defender’s ongoing — and scary — neck issues.
Brad Treliving finally addressed Smid’s situation as the Calgary Flames training camp began on Thursday.
“It’s difficult,” said the general manager. “Laddy’s a young man. He’s been dealing with this for a while. I think he had a sense of this. We talked earlier in the summer.
“He’s been out here skating with the guys. I think that’s mental medicine. I think he’s doing well. I think he’s excited about the next chapter. If you can’t play, you can’t play and we’ll move on from that.”
To make it clear, Smid is not hanging up the skates. Officially, anyway. Undecided on placing the goodnatured Czech on long term injured reserve just yet, Treliving said he offered Smid some alternatives. Scouting and some frontoffice projects. Coaching, perhaps.
Unfortunately, he won’t be on the active roster for the coming season.
“I’d like to be out there,” Smid said following his physical examination and fitness testing on Thursday. “I want to help the team. But it is what it is. It’s your health. It’s not like I’m retiring. But for this year, I’m going to have to sit out. It’s obviously hard. But it’s not a decision we made overnight.
“We talked the whole summer. It wasn’t just me deciding it, it was doctors. I heard so many different opinions so we kind of made the decision together.”
It’s not his first choice, but Smid is grateful for the interim role. “We talked about it,” he said. “I’m very happy he’s helping me out and trying to utilize me in different roles. We’ll see what that’s going to be. Whether it’s visiting players we’re scouting, I don’t know. I’m going to try a bunch of different stuff and getting back to what I like the best.”
On the ice, what Smid was best at was being tough to play against. It’s why former Flames general manager Jay Feaster acquired him in a trade in November 2013 in a package that sent goaltending prospect Laurent Brossoit and Roman Horak to the Edmonton Oilers.
He feels fine. But after undergoing a pair of neck surgeries and suffering a handful of concussions, it’s simply too risky.
“I’ve been training, I’ve been skating. I feel great. But it’s the contact,” said Smid, whose final game was on Feb. 17 against Minnesota. “If I’m going to get caught in a bad position, like last year, something bad can really happen. I really want to give it the year and we’ll see where I stand next year.”
With 583 NHL games under his belt, including 109 with the Flames, Smid has a lot to offer in a player personnel role.
But it’s not a surprise that the Flames are protecting his health.
“Everybody knows Laddy’s been through a lot with his neck,” Treliving said. “We’ve talked pretty regularly over the course of the summer. He will not be playing this year. He’s had a long history — physically, he’s not able to go. He’s been out here the last couple weeks with the guys, staying active.
“We’re going to look at Laddy doing some projects for us in the front office and maybe having some scouting assignments for him and integrating him. He won’t be participating on the ice.”