We need to go back to Will 'Secondary' Smith.
Player Discussion Will Smith
- Thread starter Shark Finn
- Start date
Usually yes, but not in this case lol. Like he literally doesn't even attempt to forecheck or muscle others off the puck. At least I can give Marleau credit because he played bumper cars out there a little bit.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Smith isn't 1/4th of the player Labanc was yet.
Smith is 19, and already scoring at a higher PPG rate than Labanc has over his career. But please, go off...
I love how your gauge is that if someone says hes better than Labanc, he’s Gretzky 2.0 in the making. Where’s the middle ground?
MATRIXXXI love how your gauge is that if someone says hes better than Labanc, he’s Gretzky 2.0 in the making. Where’s the middle ground?
I don't have a great recollection of Marleau's 2nd NHL season at 19 but I don't remember much in way of forechecking effort and muscling others off the puck. That took a few years to get into his game on a consistent basis. Don't see any reason it can't be similar for Smith.
Utilize the mute functionI love how your gauge is that if someone says hes better than Labanc, he’s Gretzky 2.0 in the making. Where’s the middle ground?
Kevin labancs career high, 56 points playing along side the best player in sharks history and in his 3rd year as a pro. As a 23 year old.
Smith pacing for 48 points as a rookie where he had the typical 19 year old learning curve.
Looking at just rookie seasons, as nobody can predict exactly what will happen with smith. As of today smith has 15 more points and only 5 games more then lebanc in his rookie. At current pace, smith will add another 8-9 points to this total. Putting smith above lebancs 1st full season and 2nd season overall.
Smith pacing for 48 points as a rookie where he had the typical 19 year old learning curve.
Looking at just rookie seasons, as nobody can predict exactly what will happen with smith. As of today smith has 15 more points and only 5 games more then lebanc in his rookie. At current pace, smith will add another 8-9 points to this total. Putting smith above lebancs 1st full season and 2nd season overall.
Do we think the 4 Nations break helped Smith (and all other rookies) reset and rest and recover and re-whatever? Because i subscribe to that. And if that's the case, that bodes well for breaking in rookies next season with the Olympic break too
Seems to have, outside of Celebrini who has just kept going at the same pace as he was before the break.
Smith is actually leading all rookies in scoring since coming back at 12 points in 11 games.
Remember one of the internet’s older rules: don’t feed the troll.
I do, personally. The grind of an 82 game season and travel is a lot, I have to imagine even getting a week off to reset would do wonders. I also think that whatever system changes Warsofsky made are really working.
I’m really impressed by the system change too. I mean, I wish the realization of “we have to build the system for the players and not force players to play a system they can’t” came much earlier for him as it’s a very obvious thing, but I’m glad he got there and that he created something that’s working.
Seems like the system change might be helping Mukhamadullin, too, even with having to play on his off side. Kudos to Warsofsky for implementing it now, during the season, rather than waiting until the summer and training camp. It should give the returning guys a leg up on starting next season on a positive note with the systemic continuity.
Good news is that next year our young guys (both the returning ones and any new ones) will have another extended break with the Olympics. And for all the talk about next season being more condensed with more back-to-backs and three-in-four-nights, this year's Sharks schedule was quite intense and unbalanced, what with the extended Four Nations break and now way more off days than earlier in the season. That'll help prepare Celebrini, though I guess for Smith it could be a challenge since he was eased in with the off days (no doubt the Sharks' intense schedule was a factor in the decision to give him those development days).
