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Speculation: Player Discussion: Will Smith

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2-11125-bad.mp4

I have my doubts.
 
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Tw1ster said:
19 year old rookie with bad turnover, probably the first time that’s ever happened. Also I know it’s worse in real time but this clip makes it look like Rutta lifted his stick instead of receiving the pass
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Honestly that stuff doesn't bother me nearly as much as when one of our defensemen is near our own blue line with an easy opportunity to get the puck out and they flub the pass or dump attempt and we get stuck in our own end another minute because they can't skate the puck out or make a decent pass. If he was trying to get it to Kunin and Warsofsky felt he needed to make the point more forcefully, so be it. If he was trying to get it to Rutta and just missed the pass, I can count plenty of passes in every game by plenty of Sharks that miss their targets that badly.
 
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Tw1ster said:
19 year old rookie with bad turnover, probably the first time that’s ever happened. Also I know it’s worse in real time but this clip makes it look like Rutta lifted his stick instead of receiving the pass
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The wasn't intended for Rutta, It was for Kunin. I hope Smith fix these blind passes. Celebrini does it fine but Smith is not at Celebrini 's level so Smith needs to more be careful.
 
I think the reason Smith gets punished more for bad reads and decisionmaking is that literally is his game at this time. The only thing that he can do in the NHL over other lower lineup players is read the play and make the right play almost all the time. It's been a notable feature of his game since the start, and right now he brings nothing else.

Can't hit, can't defend, can't win a puck, can't break pucks out or force them in. Gotta at least make the right reads and attempt the right plays.
 
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YUPPY 2 7 10 11 said:
The wasn't intended for Rutta, It was for Kunin. I hope Smith fix these blind passes. Celebrini does it fine but Smith is not at Celebrini 's level so Smith needs to more be careful.
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I would even argue that Celebrini doesn't do it fine. He's a bit too cavalier with the blind passes and it results in him having poor puck possession stats and the worst passing% on the team.

That said, you don't want him to swing too hard the other way. Keep the aggressiveness and creativity, just increase your value of puck possession a little more. The good news is he has the skill and hockey mind to improve here from 18 onwards.

This is why they don't work great together. Some impressive passes, but too many giveaways, and Smith isn't capable of winning too many puck battles in any zone to regain possession. They are dangerous on the rush, of course, but not great in puck possession.

Add 15 pounds and a bit more compete for Smith, and this could change next season. But he's gonna have to become a bit more of an effort player than he's ever been. I'm hopeful he will figure it out.
 
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Good article by Sheng where he talks to Warsofsky, Smith, and NHL scouts about Will Smith and some analysis on some of his plays in the game against the Wild.

www.nbcsportsbayarea.com

Former NHL wingers weigh in on how Sharks rookie Smith can improve

Multiple NHL scouts and San Jose Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky weighed in on rookie Will Smith’s struggles this season and how he can improve.
www.nbcsportsbayarea.com www.nbcsportsbayarea.com
 
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Let's give the kid some props. Today he made a lot of smarter plays on the puck, actually won a few board battles notably, and had a couple nice setups/shots. Wasn't his best game but certainly looked more like he belonged. The frustrated lazy line change that led to a partial breakaway wasn't 100% his fault but he's still gotta learn to motor harder / get fitter.

FWIW -- I did think that Granlund looked like one of our worst forwards tonight.

On-ice
46% xG%
0.42 xGF
0.49 xGA
1737084821360.png

1737084839391.png
 
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coooldude said:
Let's give the kid some props. Today he made a lot of smarter plays on the puck, actually won a few board battles notably, and had a couple nice setups/shots. Wasn't his best game but certainly looked more like he belonged. The frustrated lazy line change that led to a partial breakaway wasn't 100% his fault but he's still gotta learn to motor harder / get fitter.

FWIW -- I did think that Granlund looked like one of our worst forwards tonight.

On-ice
46% xG%
0.42 xGF
0.49 xGA
View attachment 962421
View attachment 962425
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Honestly, I thought that the percentage of expected goals for Celebrini's lines would be higher
 
Jargon said:
I don’t care about the mistakes Will made, I’m impressed by the improvements in his game. Both goals came off of strong defensive plays where he won a puck battle — that’s a huge thing and if he can do that continuously he’s going to be just fine.
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Agreed, hopefully he can keep building off of 2 strong games here
 
He'll probably have significant ups and downs from here, and that's okay. He's showing great flashes and improvement and his weaknesses are all mostly age and mental/physical maturity related. Still no telling what he ends up as, but no need for concern this year.
 
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BaileyMacTavish said:
Just wanted to highlight Smith despite the epic collapse. After 40+ games, he's finally got it and looks like a legitimate top 6 Forward at 19. Hope he keeps it up. Kid just needs to hit the gym DAILY in the off-season lol.
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I wouldn't go that far. He is definitely not consistent and strong enough to be a true top 6. But he just needs to get gud a moderate bit to get there.
 
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