PacificOceanPotion
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- Jun 19, 2009
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I forget where I read or listened to it, but someone made the case that because of Smith's skill level, he'd be better developing in the NHL where there are guys who can take advantage of his ability to read the ice and pass whereas the skill level of the guys in the AHL wouldn't be high enough to take advantage. I don't know whether I fully buy that, but it's an interesting point.Congrats to Will Smith, get your cup of coffee and learn to be a pro in San Jose, San Jose Barracuda.
I mean there is no way in hell Grier is going to run two teenagers on the active lineup all year. Well maybe after the trade deadline.
They will both be there. Don't you worry.Congrats to Will Smith, get your cup of coffee and learn to be a pro in San Jose, San Jose Barracuda.
I mean there is no way in hell Grier is going to run two teenagers on the active lineup all year. Well maybe after the trade deadline.
Congrats to Will Smith, get your cup of coffee and learn to be a pro in San Jose, San Jose Barracuda.
I mean there is no way in hell Grier is going to run two teenagers on the active lineup all year. Well maybe after the trade deadline.
It is highly likely both will start the season in the NHL.Congrats to Will Smith, get your cup of coffee and learn to be a pro in San Jose, San Jose Barracuda.
I mean there is no way in hell Grier is going to run two teenagers on the active lineup all year. Well maybe after the trade deadline.
A lot may depend in the as yet unknown HC which will determine matches and minutes.I mean there is no way in hell Grier is going to run two teenagers on the active lineup all year. Well maybe after the trade dedeadline.
Incredibly naive to think Smith would sign without being guaranteed a spot on the NHL roster.Congrats to Will Smith, get your cup of coffee and learn to be a pro in San Jose, San Jose Barracuda.
I mean there is no way in hell Grier is going to run two teenagers on the active lineup all year. Well maybe after the trade deadline.
Yeah, that's just not how it works with a prospect who has as much leverage as Smith. If they weren't willing to guarantee him a spot he would be going back to BC.Sharks do not "guarantee" such things. It's merit system to earn a NHL roster spot.
If Smith is truly awful then maybe he gets sent down but I'd imagine if he puts up at least a 30 point pace (with ample PP time) he'll be on the Sharks. Pulling him out of college just to play in the AHL doesn't make sense for either party.There was a recent great interview with Sheng and Smith’s agent that hit on this topic. In summary, no guarantees but seems expectations for all parties is that he will be predominately be in NHL.
If Smith is truly awful then maybe he gets sent down but I'd imagine if he puts up at least a 30 point pace (with ample PP time) he'll be on the Sharks. Pulling him out of college just to play in the AHL doesn't make sense for either party.
Yeah, that's just not how it works with a prospect who has as much leverage as Smith. If they weren't willing to guarantee him a spot he would be going back to BC.
Translation from PR speak: they were guaranteed a spot in the NHL.Right from his own agents mouth “I wouldn’t use the word guarantee, expectation is what I’d use. All parties are expecting Smith to be in the NHL next season”.
Translation from PR speak: they were guaranteed a spot in the NHL.
The Cuda in the playoffs? More of a long-shot than the Sharks.Agreed, but I still think there is a scenario where Sharks put him in AHL at some point so that he can qualify for AHL playoffs and maybe make a run there. His agent also alluded to this in the interview.
I agree with this. Had Smith played in the CHL, I wouldn’t be so impressed. That he did this in his first season in college shows me he will do well at the NHL level.Smith was picked 4th in the draft and the three players selected ahead of him moved directly into the NHL last season. None of those 3 played a single game in the AHL, Smith had an exceptional D+1 season at BC. Any thought of Smith starting in the AHL is delusional.
I bet if you go back to look at high profile NCAA players that signed, there next league has and never was the AHL.Right from his own agents mouth “I wouldn’t use the word guarantee, expectation is what I’d use. All parties are expecting Smith to be in the NHL next season”. About the only guarantee I’d read into the Smith signing is that the Sharks intend to start the clock on his ELC, as there’s not much to gain for the Sharks by signing Smith and then sliding his contract while assigning him to the AHL, instead of him just returning to college.
Not everybody needs a guarantee to challenge themselves and reach for the next step of their career. And as much as outsiders think GMs are passing out guarantees for playing time, I don’t think it happens all that much and certainly not for rookies breaking into the league.
Sharks do not "guarantee" such things. It's merit system to earn a NHL roster spot.
It also doesn't even apply to the previous regime. Does anyone seriously believe Dylan Gambrell deserved to jump straight from college to a playoff team in the NHL? Of course not, but they had to promise him games to get him to sign. And that was Dylan f***ing Gambrell.People have got to get out of that old way of thinking. This is a new GM and a new regime.
I bet if you go back to look at high profile NCAA players that signed, there next league has and never was the AHL.
They either hold out and don't sign with the original team which then makes them a UFA, or they ask for a trade or they sign and play in the NHL for the rest of there careers.