It's the coach.
I don't understand why anyone still wouldn't see the pattern at this point. Player X comes in with high hopes, gets off to a strong start and we (the fans) start loving the acquisition, only for them to fade and fade the longer they're under the guidance of Sullivan.
It's happened with pretty much every single acquisition, and yet folks still discuss the individual players to try and figure out why they're struggling. This time it's Smith.
You can use this argument - often - for our rotating bottom 6 and defense under Sully.
It is not fair to use it for the top 6. They're literally running carte blanche out there nightly, allowed to do whatever the F they feel like and are given pretty much every opportunity to succeed offensively.
That's what makes Eller doing anything offensive
at all impressive and what makes the lack of offensive production from players like Simon, Zucker, Rust, Smith, etc. over the years utterly unacceptable. Dude has been stapled to Geno all season regardless of results while players like - recently - Puustinen are getting no time at all in the top 6 and their production dropping.
...essentially: dude isn't a fit here. Obviously doesn't suck and is obviously an NHL talent - but he's a waste of a roster spot/cap space on this Penguins team (as constructed). Again, no brainer here and why plenty of us hated the acquisition of Zucker 2.0. He is NOT what this team has needed and other than being a 'free asset' I have no clue what they were thinking in acquiring him. Tarasenko would have been a hell of a lot better move but....yeah, here we are.
Geno needs someone to help elevate his line offensively because, outside of a shift here or there, he can't be relied upon to do it all any more. That's again where folks (myself included) see him making a shift to wing here (hopefully) soon. It's why JT Miller would have been an absolute dynamite acquisition. It's, again, why players like Rakell and Smith won't EVER do anything for Malkin. Not now, not yesterday, not next season. Waste of 16M nightly.