TheBigDrunkPanda
Registered User
- Oct 19, 2021
- 1,055
- 1,054
I guess the plus side to this is that smith won’t have to work to retrieve pucks off the boards or behind the net his responsibilities are lessened and he can focus on trying to scoreI don't particularly care for it because I think Goodie and Kunin are both guys that shouldn't be higher in the lineup than the 4th line. But the reality is that any spot in the lineup that Smith has is a spot he hasn't earned. They are spots he's trying to develop his way into. In the development context, anywhere in the lineup for someone who is still needing to learn to play at NHL speed is good for his development even with bad linemates. I don't expect that to be the case this whole season but early on while he's still finding his footing and we're committing to his development, anywhere in the lineup is fine enough for his development. Hell, a healthy scratch isn't a bad idea for him either to watch a game or two.