Speculation: Player Discussion: Will Smith

[Jargon]

I'm on holiday and tanking my time for the sharks frequently. I watched at the stats and saw, that Willie is at the end of the +/- list with -10. Well i have to say that just 3 players are +, but -10 hurts a little bit.
But it is nice to read your comments on Willie and that he is getting better by time.
It's just one week of holiday, but i'm missing 4 games, that's brutal. Never had this since a longe time.

His playing with Celebrini has turned him into a totally different player than he was at the start of the season.

 

[timorous me]

His playing with Celebrini has turned him into a totally different player than he was at the start of the season.

Also, he played for much of the season on a line that couldn't generate any offense, so the minuses piled up. It's no offense to Goodrow and Kunin but that just wasn't a good fit for Smith and many of us were complaining that it was an experiment going on for too long.

Now he's on the wing, so he can focus more on offense, and has a capable attacking player out there with him. It's just made a world of difference. I'm not opposed to Smith going back to center soon, but as much as I appreciate guys like Kunin and Goodrow helping him to learn to play a certain style of game, it's important to remember that this kid's #1 quality is his offensive skill and even in his development I think you need to respect that and make sure he's not being neutered out there.

 

[hohosaregood]

I have really enjoyed watching Smith's development in general. I don't think I've watched a player so much that I've been able to key in on how he's improved over the years. It's just oddly apparent when he improves on something from week to week. And I just can't see any argument for Smith to have stayed in college at this point. If the current version of Smith went back to college, he'd be absolutely dominant.

 

[Hodge]

And people were saying we should loan him to the f***ing World Juniors

 

[Kcoyote3]

Looks the part with Celebrini. He has had excellent linemates for years before this. It really amplifies his play when he can lean on them, just like it did in college. Hopefully they keep them together for the foreseeable future because it's fun seeing their creativity together. He needs a lot more time but I think this is probably the best spot for him right now.

 

[ThePlanet]

Hot take: Wario is doing great behind the bench. The team being so much more structured and competitive compared to last season has given us truly watchable hockey again. On top of that, being able to see noticeable improvement with our youth, seemingly each week. I honestly believe we have ourselves a real gem.