knu
Registered User
No.Remember when we won hockey games?
No.Remember when we won hockey games?
He isn’t going down. Grier said so today and to be honest I’m good with it. If you compare his first game to today’s you can already see the huge strides he’s made. He’s a work in progress but he’s looking better each gameMan guys, I really like Will Smith and so badly want to see him succeed, but the kid is just getting worked out there game after game. He just seems totally unprepared for NHL speed & physicality, as that empty netter shows. I think it's time to send him to the A. Anyone else?
It's not going to happen. Grier said he's staying up. And I think he should. Despite the two penalties, this was his best offensive game. He was 2cm from his first assist, he was a great save from his first goal, he probably generated almost as much offense as Eklund (best player tonight imho).Man guys, I really like Will Smith and so badly want to see him succeed, but the kid is just getting worked out there game after game. He just seems totally unprepared for NHL speed & physicality, as that empty netter shows. I think it's time to send him to the A. Anyone else?
he kinda deserves it at this point.
SNOG
Ducks 3-1
Carlsson, Vatrano, Terry
Eklund
# | Date / Opponent | SNOG Winner(s) | Result |
1 | Oct. 10 vs Blues | none | Blues 5-4 OT |
2 | Oct. 12 vs Ducks | none | Ducks 2-0 |
3 | Oct. 15 at Stars | weastern bias | Stars 3-2 SO |
4 | Oct. 17 at Blackhawks | weastern bias | Blackhawks 4-2 |
5 | Oct. 18 at Jets | none | Jets 8-3 |
6 | Oct. 20 vs Avalanche | none | Avalanche 4-1 |
7 | Oct. 22 at Ducks | Timo Time | Ducks 3-1 |
Rank | 2024-25 SNOG standings | # of SNOGs |
1. | weastern bias | 2 |
2. | Timo Time | 1 |
Yeah, don't watch it on replay. It was frustrating.Lol, didn't watch, lol
0-12 is in our sights!
I think he was making sure Dostal didn’t shoot it, lol.What was that by Zetterlund raising his arms like that at the end lol
Did you see the play where he thought he could get by the Anaheim player but was not in fact able to do it and it ended the game? I saw at least 2-3 other plays like that throughout the game (though none were the death knell the last one was).It's not going to happen. Grier said he's staying up. And I think he should. Despite the two penalties, this was his best offensive game. He was 2cm from his first assist, he was a great save from his first goal, he probably generated almost as much offense as Eklund (best player tonight imho).
Smith is going through it right now, but if he can come out of the 10-40 games it takes him to figure out how to play in the league, he's going to be a better player for it.
I thought today he was actually much closer to game speed. His near goal came from seeing the play on time and hustling HARD to catch up to that play and present an option for Goodrow, as just one example. Lots of other good offensive chances generated. Unfortunate that he had a couple turnovers in the third (one for the EN) due to not enough strength, but all in all it was actually a great step forward game for him in my eyes.Smith needs about 2 months to adjust to the speed. Benching him doesn't make the Sharks more competitive, and certainly doesn't help his development. He's just a beat behind. He's gradually improving, but everything he did in college doesn't work in the NHL yet, because it's too slow. He's not like Celebrini, who was already playing at NHL speed before the season started. Smith has to think faster and move faster, and he'll get there. Fans don't normally get a microscopic view of a player's growing pains, but that's what we're gonna get with Smith until he sorts it out.
I think he's shown flashes of brilliance from game 1 onward. I think that's always been there.He isn’t going down. Grier said so today and to be honest I’m good with it. If you compare his first game to today’s you can already see the huge strides he’s made. He’s a work in progress but he’s looking better each game
It cannot be understated how badly not having Celebrini is f***ing us up, also.I thought today he was actually much closer to game speed. His near goal came from seeing the play on time and hustling HARD to catch up to that play and present an option for Goodrow, as just one example. Lots of other good offensive chances generated. Unfortunate that he had a couple turnovers in the third (one for the EN) due to not enough strength, but all in all it was actually a great step forward game for him in my eyes.
Other positives since this season isn't about wins but about development:
It feels like we'll get our first win soon, but we're certainly only slightly better than last year. It's more watchable but it's also more frustrating versus just completely demoralizing.
- Eklund looked fantastic.
- Thompson got better as the game went on - feels like looking into Cagnoni's future
- Walman isn't going to be a core piece, but he looked very solid, especially on the endless PK
Now that's a nickname I can get behindWoofsofsky
I’m not worried at all that a 19 year old making the jump from College to the best league in the world is getting beat by men in his first 10 games. This season, growing pains were expected and that’s what we are getting. He needs to learn from his mistakes while also being encouraged to stick with it even if something fails. He’s actually reminding me quite a bit of Jack Hughes in his rookie campaignI think he's shown flashes of brilliance from game 1 onward. I think that's always been there.
But aren't you a little worried watching him concisely get beat when he tries to make a move? These are moves he should be able to pull off long term, but I don't think leaving him in a league that's too big a jump in terms of the speed/size is a good way to help him adapt.
Yeah he should pull off those moves when he understands the physical demands to doing so at the NHL level and gets his body like how Eklund has gotten his body after a couple years of pro hockey. I would keep him in the AHL but Grier isn’t doing that because he sees more development happening over the course of a season. It’s a fair thing to believe and invest into I think.I think he's shown flashes of brilliance from game 1 onward. I think that's always been there.
But aren't you a little worried watching him concisely get beat when he tries to make a move? These are moves he should be able to pull off long term, but I don't think leaving him in a league that's too big a jump in terms of the speed/size is a good way to help him adapt.
Yes, I even posted about it being his season in a nutshell (needs to get stronger, be more decisive) -- but he also needed puck support there, and he had a lot of other pretty dangerous plays. He could have had 2-3 points tonight but for posts or great saves.Did you see the play where he thought he could get by the Anaheim player but was not in fact able to do it and it ended the game?
At least! He tried a stupid chip-move in the high slot that led to a rush the other way. He screwed up one or two other OZ passes. But he also had some good forechecks, puck support as F2, turnovers, high danger passes, and a near goal. It was as I said, offensively, his best game, and without even one of the penalties, definitely his best game overall.I saw at least 2-3 other plays like that throughout the game (though none were the death knell the last one was).
Cutter didn't look all that great and he's a year older and he has been a man-child for 2 years already. He's cave man hockey. Me shoot puck. Had an awful PP-killing pass to the point when nobody was there, didn't do much at 5v5.Again, I'm really high on Smith. This doesn't make me doubt his potential future. But he just isn't as NHL ready as I had hoped. It seems crazy to me to not send him down to the A for a bit to dominate. You have to imagine his confidence is shot. Especially watching his buddy that he well outscored last year put up 2 points tonight.
As a side note to the color choices on these graphs - could they be just a tad more easier to distinguish from each other or am I just getting old?Really liking Thompson's game, very happy to see the coaches are rewarding him with first line D pairing with Walman and he got PP1 QB in the third period. The analytics also loved his game tonight
I haven't watched much Jack Hughes but I remember watching rookie Patty. And Couture. And Pavelski. The latter 2 seasoned in the A and it showed. Even Patty showed more than this at this point.I’m not worried at all that a 19 year old making the jump from College to the best league in the world is getting beat by men in his first 10 games. This season, growing pains were expected and that’s what we are getting. He needs to learn from his mistakes while also being encouraged to stick with it even if something fails. He’s actually reminding me quite a bit of Jack Hughes in his rookie campaign
Maybe it just means he's negative and down on the ice too nowadays.Meanwhile, I'm here wondering how Sturm is not really contributing anything to this team at all. I'd argue based on interviews, he comes across as someone who would be super negative and down in the room.