Oilers trade Smid to Flames for prospects

Ladislav Smid will see the Battle of Alberta from the other side after being traded by Edmonton Oilers to the Calgary Flames on Friday for two prospects.

Smid and minor-league goaltender Olivier Roy went from the Oilers to the Flames in exchange for two minor leaguers, goaltender Laurent Brossoit and forward Roman Horak. Brossoit was playing with the Alaska Aces of the ECHL; Horak was with the Abbotsford Heat, the Flames' American Hockey League affiliate.

Ladislav Smid

Defense - GCY

GOALS: 1 | ASST: 1 | PTS: 2
SOG: 6 | +/-: -6

Smid has three seasons remaining after this one on a contract with an average annual value of $3.5 million.

"[The trade] was an opportunity to give us some [salary-cap room] to do a few other things and add goaltending depth," Edmonton general manager Craig MacTavish said.

Not long after the trade was disclosed, the Oilers announced they have reached a verbal agreement with goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov on a one-year contract.

In a phone interview with Chris Westcott of the Oilers website, Smid said he holds no hard feelings toward the organization but will miss the city of Edmonton almost as much as his former teammates.

"It's not just the team I'm going to be sad about, it's also the city," he said. "I have a lot of friends there and my wife is from there and her family is from there. I know Calgary is not very far but it's kind of weird. I've never been through this during the season, and it's a weird feeling, but I am really excited to be a part of the Calgary Flames now."

Flames general manager Jay Feaster said Smid will join the team in Calgary on Saturday. The Flames played the Colorado Avalanche in Denver and are off until the San Jose Sharks come to Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday.

"We feel he’s a guy who can come in and play big minutes," Feaster said when asked why he made the deal. "He’s a guy who can kill penalties and gives the coaching staff options. He’s 27, he’ll be 28 in February, so even at the end of his contract he’ll be 31 years old and we consider that to be consistent with where we are in our rebuild process."

When asked what he told Smid after welcoming him to the Flames, Feaster replied, "I said welcome to the Battle of Alberta from the other side."

Roy was chosen by the Oilers in the fifth round (No. 133) of the 2009 NHL Draft. He turned pro in 2011 and has split time between the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL and the Oklahoma City Barons of the AHL. Roy was 2-2-0 in four games with a 3.27 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage with the Barons this season.

Horak, 22, has spent the past three seasons with the Flames organization and had five goals and 18 points in 82 games with Calgary, including two goals and seven points in 20 games with the Flames in 2012-13. He was selected by the New York Rangers in the fifth round (No. 127) of the 2009 NHL Draft.

Brossoit, 20, spent the past four seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings in the Western Hockey League, with an 88-34-13 record in 146 games. He played two games with Abbotsford and three with Alaska this season, his first as a professional. The Flames selected Brossoit in the sixth round (No. 164) of the 2011 NHL Draft.