Flames coach Hartley on Ladislav Smid: 'He's going to be out for a while'

The Calgary Flames will be without defenseman Ladislav Smid for months, based on the tone of head coach Bob Hartley's comments Sunday.

"He's going to be out for a while," Hartley admitted, according to the club's official twitter feed. 

The club also confirmed that Smid sustained an upper-body injury when he was hit hard by Pittsburgh Penguins defender Simon Despres in Calgary's Friday night loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Smid has logged third pairing minutes for the Flames this season while contributing to a secondary penalty-killing unit. The veteran shutdown defender has only managed one assist in 28 games, and the club has been outshot by a huge margin when he's on the ice.