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Coyotes GM Maloney on Mike Smith: 'We're married to him'

Robert Hanashiro / USA TODAY Sports

Mike Smith barely lasted one period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday after sitting for three straight games, but the Arizona Coyotes aren't ready to give up on him yet.

Despite Smith's dismal performance (5-15-2 with a 3.48 goals-against average and .884 save percentage), and speculation suggesting he could be moved, Arizona general manager Don Maloney believes the 32-year-old is the team's starting netminder for the foreseeable future.

"He's had one of these starts to the year where it seems that whatever could happen poorly, happens," Maloney told ProHockeyTalk. "I think he’s been trying to chase that and it’s like a golfer always worrying about your score, instead of worrying about the process. But long story short, I still feel Mike is a top goalie in this league, and we're married to him. So he's not going anywhere."

If the relationship between Smith and the Coyotes is a marriage, does the six-year, $34-million contract he signed count as a prenup?

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