Hodge
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2021
- 6,364
- 7,610
You don't need to go through with an arbitration hearing to use the leverage of arbitration eligibility to get a better contract. We see this literally every year. In the same way, the mere fact that college players have the option to go UFA at 21/22 years old is enough to give them the upper hand in negotiations especially when they're an elite player like Smith.Is anyone saying the next league for Smith is the AHL? Literally, no one, from management, the media, or this thread are saying that. At the same time none of the org, his representation, or Smith himself are suggesting he’s guaranteed NHL ice all season.
Grier has made it clear he thinks Smith is ready and it’s not like The roster is chock full of high-talent forwards. The opportunity is being provided and Smith will have to earn his spot. I have no doubt that he’ll seize the opportunity; frankly for Smith this all probably a moot point and he’ll likely have an excellent first season that starts a little slow as he adapts, has a strong middle as he acclimatizes to NHL tempo, and tapers off towards the end as the grind of the much longer season wears on.
I also thought Sheng and Smith’s agent made a cogent point that the perception of college prospects holding all the leverage is greatly overblown by fans based off a small handful of cases. It isn’t the norm that college players are holding out on teams; it’s the rare exception.
Stop taking things Grier or player agents say to the media at face value. Their job is to advance the interests of themselves/their team/their client, not to be 100% transparent with fans.