I'd have to go back and look at a list of the 4th lines but I feel like our 4th lines have been pretty good until recent years with the rebuild...starting with the hbo line then boyle, moore, prust, etc
Yeah, and a big trend have always been that when our 4th line have worked, so have the team.
4th line has been garbage for three years now. This team needs to address it.
I don't know what Gettinger did so wrong. He looked fine.
I like Smith in a way, but, the game is rigged for whatever linemates he have a on a 4th because its just impossible to get anything meaningful done the way that line have to play with Smith on it.
Just to play a straight forward 4th line hockey game, there is still a lot of room to be smart about how you go about it. But when Smith is out there its just total chaos and that will never pay off. I know that many feel that Smith in fact is the one that gets the most done on the ice all the time, DQ obviously feels that too. Its '
sure our 4th is maybe the worst in the league, but Smith is the one that actually make a good play here and there'. But I think that is very deceiving. The way that line plays right now, just trying to berserk the ice, sure that fits Smiths. But he drags whatever other linemate he has down with him. I think many would be surprised by just how much better like even a Gettinger-Boo-Fog line would look.
A big problem with Smith is that he totally takes himself out of the equation on the forecheck. He is the point on the forecheck. The point's premier assignment is to take away the pass up center ice. Steer the pass the defender have to make to either side of the ice, and then stay with his guy. Smith however completely disregards that side of the job. He comes in crashing after the puck, and sure he will catch a defender off guard because normally the high forechecker won't risk selling himself too easy. But waaaaay too often Smith just ends up on his but, seem to catch a rut or whatever, and its wide open for the other team to move the puck up center ice and we also lose coverage of the defender that made the pass.
Obviously DQ disagrees, but I think that Smith's ability as a high forechecker on a 4th line is way below what is acceptable. And I feel bad for Fogarthy and co., he worked so hard for his chance, and then when he gets it, its under these conditions...