Speculation: Player Discussion: Will Smith

[Alaskanice]

You're missing the obvious.

Smith puts up one of the best freshmen seasons in NCAA history to win the scoring title. Does not even end up a Hobey Baker finalist.

Sharks draft the kid who won said Hobey Baker to way more fanfare than Smith ever got and every pundit out there predicts the he'll go straight to the NHL.

Do you really think that Smith's decision to go pro had nothing to do with this?

These guys are competitors. And I would bet you in his heart of hearts, Smith believes he's every bit the talent Celebrini is and he wants to prove it. And I for one am here for it!

But to make it all about $$ seems to miss the even more obvious. Smith is going to make tens of millions, maybe hundreds of millions in his career. I don't think a few extra hundred thousand means to him what it means to normal people like you and me.

Proper.

 

[weastern bias]

Why else would Smith leave college when he did? He could have played his sophomore year at BC, signed in March and still pocketed the $92,500 signing bonus and burned a year of his ELC.

Because he's a teenage boy who's been dreaming of playing in the NHL for his entire life?

Not every transaction is some underhanded backroom deal, a kid who killed it in college thought he was ready for the next level so he signed his contract, it's every bit as likely as the Machiavellian lever-pulling you seem convinced he's engaged in, I think he just wants to be in the NHL like most hockey players do

 

[Hodge]

Because he's a teenage boy who's been dreaming of playing in the NHL for his entire life?

Not every transaction is some underhanded backroom deal, a kid who killed it in college thought he was ready for the next level so he signed his contract, it's every bit as likely as the Machiavellian lever-pulling you seem convinced he's engaged in, I think he just wants to be in the NHL like most hockey players do

We now have Grier on record talking about coming up with a development plan before Smith signed that clearly involves Smith spending his entire rookie season with the Sharks.

This is how things work with high profile NCAA players unless you want a Cutter Gauthier situation on your hands. Nothing Machiavellian about it.

You're missing the obvious.

Smith puts up one of the best freshmen seasons in NCAA history to win the scoring title. Does not even end up a Hobey Baker finalist.

Sharks draft the kid who won said Hobey Baker to way more fanfare than Smith ever got and every pundit out there predicts the he'll go straight to the NHL.

Do you really think that Smith's decision to go pro had nothing to do with this?

These guys are competitors. And I would bet you in his heart of hearts, Smith believes he's every bit the talent Celebrini is and he wants to prove it. And I for one am here for it!

But to make it all about $$ seems to miss the even more obvious. Smith is going to make tens of millions, maybe hundreds of millions in his career. I don't think a few extra hundred thousand means to him what it means to normal people like you and me.

None of this contradicts Smith getting assurances that he will play in the NHL all season. How is he supposed to prove he's as good as Celebrini on the Barracuda?

 

[weastern bias]

We now have Grier on record talking about coming up with a development plan before Smith signed that clearly involves Smith spending his entire rookie season with the Sharks.

This is how things work with high profile NCAA players unless you want a Cutter Gauthier situation on your hands. Nothing Machiavellian about it.

You are conflating two different things and attaching a conspiracy to it

The organization has a plan to maximize Smith's development and in their eyes it is in their best interest to keep him in the NHL all year

That does not mean it is something they promised to him as a condition of signing his contract, it is perfectly reasonable to believe the team had this plan on their own accord

 

[Hodge]

You are conflating two different things and attaching a conspiracy to it

The organization has a plan to maximize Smith's development and in their eyes it is in their best interest to keep him in the NHL all year

That does not mean it is something they promised to him as a condition of signing his contract, it is perfectly reasonable to believe the team had this plan on their own accord

And you're assuming Smith still would have signed if the Sharks had proposed a development plan that involved him playing in the AHL.

The only things we know for sure are 1) Smith signed after one season at BC 2) his camp and the Sharks agreed to a development plan for his rookie year before he signed 3) this plan involves him being on the NHL roster the entire season. Draw your own conclusions.

 

[weastern bias]

And you're assuming Smith still would have signed if the Sharks had proposed a development plan that involved him playing in the AHL.

The only things we know for sure are 1) Smith signed after one season at BC 2) his camp and the Sharks agreed to a development plan for his rookie year before he signed 3) this plan involves him being on the NHL roster the entire season. Draw your own conclusions.

This is projection, I made no assumptions, please quote my post where I assumed there were no promises, I only pointed out that there is no proof of these promises

 

[tiburon12]

You're missing the obvious.

Smith puts up one of the best freshmen seasons in NCAA history to win the scoring title. Does not even end up a Hobey Baker finalist.

Sharks draft the kid who won said Hobey Baker to way more fanfare than Smith ever got and every pundit out there predicts the he'll go straight to the NHL.

Do you really think that Smith's decision to go pro had nothing to do with this?

These guys are competitors. And I would bet you in his heart of hearts, Smith believes he's every bit the talent Celebrini is and he wants to prove it. And I for one am here for it!

But to make it all about $$ seems to miss the even more obvious. Smith is going to make tens of millions, maybe hundreds of millions in his career. I don't think a few extra hundred thousand means to him what it means to normal people like you and me.

Smith's competitive edge, mentioned here, is really sharp and is what is going to get him to develop while in the NHL. Celebrini there pushing him as well. He's gonna be fine.

BUT - all this talk about money is seriously funny. Do y'all forget the family he came from? Money is not on his radar

 

[CanadienShark]

I’ve watched this game for decades, I cannot recall one instance where I heard a player saying they want to go down. I’m not saying it can’t happen, it just sounds unlikely.

Pacioretty did.

 

[Cas]

Smith's competitive edge, mentioned here, is really sharp and is what is going to get him to develop while in the NHL. Celebrini there pushing him as well. He's gonna be fine.

BUT - all this talk about money is seriously funny. Do y'all forget the family he came from? Money is not on his radar

...is he from some famously wealthy family? I have no idea who his family is.

 

[tiburon12]

...is he from some famously wealthy family? I have no idea who his family is.

He's from Lexington, MA, his father is a super successful luxury real estate guy, and his mom's family used to own the White Sox.

To add for reference, his dad bought a house in MI so they could have a home base while Will was at the NDTP.

 

[Lebanezer]

He's from Lexington, MA, his father is a super successful luxury real estate guy, and his mom's family used to own the White Sox.

To add for reference, his dad bought a house in MI so they could have a home base while Will was at the NDTP.

That's all well and good, but does he own his own island?

 

[Hodge]

He's from Lexington, MA, his father is a super successful luxury real estate guy, and his mom's family used to own the White Sox.

To add for reference, his dad bought a house in MI so they could have a home base while Will was at the NDTP.

Most of these kids come from wealthy families but money is still important to them. I never said it was the only consideration. Money is obviously not the only reason any hockey player on the planet would rather be playing in the NHL than the AHL.

 

[Star Platinum]

That's all well and good, but does he own his own island?

He does!

Smith Island, Maryland - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Sharksfan66]

None of this contradicts Smith getting assurances that he will play in the NHL all season. How is he supposed to prove he's as good as Celebrini on the Barracuda?

If you're gifted a spot in advance, you didn't prove jack.

 

[tiburon12]

Most of these kids come from wealthy families but money is still important to them. I never said it was the only consideration. Money is obviously not the only reason any hockey player on the planet would rather be playing in the NHL than the AHL.

My comment wasn't directed at you, but the series of posts talking about relatively minuscule amounts of money and their affect on his decisions at age 20 or whatever. For Will its a non-factor - we should only consider on-ice things with him

 

[gaucholoco3]

Money might not be everything to these players but the difference between making $83k and $925k are vastly different and absolutely would matter regardless of how wealthy his family is.

Also to the poster that suggested that the Hughes contract was impacted by his poor season in the NHL. What do you think playing in the AHL would have done to help his contract.

Smith has a play style that will always take time to develop. It’s why he is in a different level than Celebrini. He relies on his brain to win which will translate but he needs 15 or so games at the NHL level to download and process the speed. My only criticism is that he should be getting more PP time to keep his confidence high.

 

[tiburon12]

Money might not be everything to these players but the difference between making $83k and $925k are vastly different and absolutely would matter regardless of how wealthy his family is.

It really wouldn't. Also consider that Will is living with Marleau so he has 0 housing expenses (would remain zero in the AHL too), has NIL money, and generational family wealth (and that's not even discussing the likely enormous trust fund he has). Unless his parents are miserly, which is clearly not the case, there is no reason to believe his family wouldn't help out if 83k didn't cut it for a few weeks. This is the rich parents' playbook.

I assure you that the decrease in salary wouldn't even be on Smith's radar IF he were contemplating a stint in the AHL. There is 0 reason to talk about the money factor any further

 

[coooldude]

Looked okay tonight - good to see him put it on net the few times he had some space, saw him win some board battles in all three zones. I'm not sure he'll get a chance without another injury, but it would be good to see him get more OZ time on PP1, before Celebrini comes back.

Also got knocked off the puck a few times and just generally needs to move his feet more, which was also true last year at BC. He looked a little sluggish today compared to last game he played - that also happened last year at BC, perhaps from heavy lifting or who knows. He's never going to be a burner but it would be good to see him show more pop consistently.

 

[Lebanezer]

He does!

Smith Island, Maryland - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Alaskanice]

Looked okay tonight - good to see him put it on net the few times he had some space, saw him win some board battles in all three zones. I'm not sure he'll get a chance without another injury, but it would be good to see him get more OZ time on PP1, before Celebrini comes back.

Also got knocked off the puck a few times and just generally needs to move his feet more, which was also true last year at BC. He looked a little sluggish today compared to last game he played - that also happened last year at BC, perhaps from heavy lifting or who knows. He's never going to be a burner but it would be good to see him show more pop consistently.

He is getting better and better. Just as I thought he would. A thinkers game. Takes time.

 

[Shark Finn]

Celebrini needs to come back so Granlund can be planted on Smith's wing.

 

[wickedwitch]

Celebrini needs to come back so Granlund can be planted on Smith's wing.

Or... they could just break up the first line now, as they have been -3 in two straight games.

Why wait? What's the worst that could happen? They lose 8-3 instead?

 

[coooldude]

He is getting better and better. Just as I thought he would. A thinkers game. Takes time.

I'm not on the same page as you here - my expectation is that we need to see two years to really understand if he's picking up the NHL game to the level we need him to, in order for him to be an impact player. This is not at all guaranteed. Takes time, a thinkers game, yes. "Just as I thought he would" and "getting better and better," not exactly.

 

[Alaskanice]

I'm not on the same page as you here - my expectation is that we need to see two years to really understand if he's picking up the NHL game to the level we need him to, in order for him to be an impact player. This is not at all guaranteed. Takes time, a thinkers game, yes. "Just as I thought he would" and "getting better and better," not exactly.

Just as I thought he would is just that, my thought. Maybe that married with hope.
As one poster made a point about Fenwick and Corsi, I don’t know about that. I just watch and enjoy.
Your expectations are different.
I understand that I have an unwavering optimism that others don’t have. I guess that’s my part in this.

 

[TheBeard]

I'm not on the same page as you here - my expectation is that we need to see two years to really understand if he's picking up the NHL game to the level we need him to, in order for him to be an impact player. This is not at all guaranteed. Takes time, a thinkers game, yes. "Just as I thought he would" and "getting better and better," not exactly.

I agree with this. Nit-picking each game to focus on the few positive plays isn’t indicative of him “getting better”. He will eventually be a big part of the team but for now he’s not really an NHL player. I’d honestly rather see Graf playing over him but for the sake of his development you gotta keep rolling him out.