NHL Around the NHL IX - Islanders En Fuego

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ODAAT

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At the time I didn`t have a massive issue with moving Smith. There were stretches during that "down" year where he just looked disinterested and too often seemed terribly hesitant in making a play for pucks that were there for the taking. He seems to have a pattern of doing just what he`s doing now, has a decent scoring year followed by dips in his production. Would I welcome him back on the B`s? Sure, not a bad things to have a guy who can put the puck in the net but I still believe he`s a guy who can go from one who you notice each shift to one you didn`t even realize was dressed for long stretches of games at a time.

Anyways, can`t believe I jumped in on a conversation about a guy who hasn`t been a Bruin for years, man I`m bored
 
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Number8

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Nah, add Smith and subtract Backes/Kuhlman we win last year... stupid trade then and looks even worse with the Backes albatross still sitting there....Instead of the rw du jour we could have had a long time contributor there. We have been hoping one of the kids would seize that spot for what, five years now? We already had the solution in house.
I believe the B's players when they talk about what a great group they have and that they are all on the same page. IMO that sort of thing is a big intangible that carries real value in playoffs.

I'm not saying Reilly Smith would not have been a potential viable RW option, but I do believe he was not a guy well liked in the room. I'm not sold that simply having him on the team would have got us over the hump.
 
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LouJersey

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I believe the B's players when they talk about what a great group they have and that they are all on the same page. IMO that sort of thing is a big intangible that carries real value in playoffs.

I'm not saying Reilly Smith would not have been a potential viable RW option, but I do believe he was not a guy well liked in the room. I'm not sold that simply having him on the team would have got us over the hump.

That's fair. I know Marchand was butt hurt from getting bounced from the first PP unit at the time. I mean I can't picture Marchand being that petty where he would get the room to turn against him...

I mean, he certainly "turned it around" here

Why Reilly Smith is considered the Golden Knights' best...

There is one thing that really annoys me... When the Bruins trade someone who turns out as good or better somewhere else it's always "he didn't fit into the room", and can never be , well, the Bruins f***ed up and made a terrible deal/conclusion on said player.
 

PatriceBergeronFan

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Breaking it down simply tho, isn't that far fetched. Smith stays, hayes is never here, no black hole on the right side, Backes is not signed. You are correct as far as maybe even then they don't sign him to an extension, so I get it.

That is all very true but Smith was very Heinen like (complementary) when he was here.

Now, if Heinen takes that same leap forward I will be most excited and wrong. He looked great in preseason... he might finally get it and get the chance Smith and Wheeler did not have the time to get.
 

RussellmaniaKW

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Smith was not a solution. He was a mildly scoring winger that was not tough along the boards. Did not fit the Bruins mold and lost favor.

IMO, he was not the solution. He had one good year in FLorida and then tanked, went to Vegas for a song. He has taken his last chance and really run with it there, good for him.

I'm fine with what happened. I dont think Smith would be our answer at 2RW.
It's remarkable to me how HF posters will hang on to the nonsense whipping boy narratives that develop here over the years.

Because of one "bad" year in Boston (when the whole team sucked and he still had an "abysmal" 40 points as a 23 year old) people look for every reason to shit on this guy. The guy's worst full NHL season was still a 15 goal, 37 point year. The "weak along the boards" thing is such a cop-out and is the typical BS Bruins fans say when they don't like a player who is productive but can't point to any sort of real reason why. You don't put up 22 points in 20 playoff games en route to the finals if you're as soft as people claim he is.

The guy has proven to be a bonafide top 6 winger putting up points a 65 point pace over the last 2 seasons. It's completely asinine to suggest that he wouldn't drastically improve our top 6 which has been looking for a reliable RW since this guy was traded.

Lou is 100% right that if you replace Backes and Kuhlman with Reilly Smith last year there's an undeniably strong chance that puts them over the top. We're talking about a guy who is over a point per game in the playoffs in the last 2 years (and had 8 points in 6 playoff games for Florida in 2016).

If that Reilly Smith isn't good enough to be our 2nd line RW then who is? Are people expecting a 90 point, 50 goal 2nd line guy? Is that the standard here? I just don't get where people's heads are at (j/k actually I know exactly how people think here because I've seen it for years --- they can't process or accept that sometimes the Bruins trade good players when they shouldn't have so they minimize the accomplishments of the player)
 

RussellmaniaKW

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Are we really rehashing and whining about Reilly Smith now? Lmao.
We just lost in game 7 of the finals in large part because the team struggled to finish and never found a real solution at 2RW (a spot they've been trying to fill since the departure of...*checks notes*....Reilly Smith). What better time to talk about what could have been?
 
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BradPark22

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We just lost in game 7 of the finals in large part because the team struggled to finish and never found a real solution at 2RW (a spot they've been trying to fill since the departure of...*checks notes*....Reilly Smith). What better time to talk about what could have been?

Reilly Smith will never be the answer to the question " If we only had ( insert player name here ) we'd have won game 7 "
 

RussellmaniaKW

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Reilly Smith will never be the answer to the question " If we only had ( insert player name here ) we'd have won game 7 "
Great argument, lots to think about here. Karson Kuhlman was definitely the answer in game 7...oh wait...

Well surely Backes would have got it done, right? I mean those guys aren't over a point per game playoff performers, but f*** Reilly Smith because...reasons?
 
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RussellmaniaKW

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btw I'm also thrilled that we're 1 day into the season and people are already calling it "whining" when someone (with no history of whining) points out that a player the B's let go would really help the team right now.

It's such a good culture to have on this board that you can't say anything negative about the team or else you're "whining".
 

LouJersey

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btw I'm also thrilled that we're 1 day into the season and people are already calling it "whining" when someone (with no history of whining) points out that a player the B's let go would really help the team right now.

It's such a good culture to have on this board that you can't say anything negative about the team or else you're "whining".

Yeah, I tried to lay out the reasons and stone cold facts about his play, but I guess you and I both are just whining.

So much for being able to have constructive hockey talk on these boards.
 

AngryMilkcrates

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Boston idiotically gave up on him after a down year and felt bringing in a Beleskey and Hayes were more conducive to winning, which is hilarious. He was set to make 3.5 per over the next two years, which was a song.

As for legit reasons? Dunno, doesn't seem to be affecting him or his teammates now...I mean it's not like Boston dumped any other players that have had no issues elsewhere *snicker*

as for his contract, who knows, maybe they don't bring Backes in to fill the huge void created on rw2 that Hayes and co failed miserably to fill.

As for not becoming that Vegas player he already was that player in year one here, 20 g 50+ points...in his first full time season...I bet he would have been even better in this top 6 but guess we will never know...

He kept getting victimized along the boards. I dontquestion their concern or decision. Hindsight is 20/20, we could be here rioting over why we still have Smith when the money could have gone to an actual scoring winger to get us over the hump. Damned if you do, damned if you dont.
 

LouJersey

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We just lost in game 7 of the finals in large part because the team struggled to finish and never found a real solution at 2RW (a spot they've been trying to fill since the departure of...*checks notes*....Reilly Smith). What better time to talk about what could have been?

I mean the second line did score 2 goals in the entire series. Jake and DK combined for 1 goal in 7 games, but yeah, he would have been no help.
 

AngryMilkcrates

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That's fair. I know Marchand was butt hurt from getting bounced from the first PP unit at the time. I mean I can't picture Marchand being that petty where he would get the room to turn against him...

I mean, he certainly "turned it around" here

Why Reilly Smith is considered the Golden Knights' best...

There is one thing that really annoys me... When the Bruins trade someone who turns out as good or better somewhere else it's always "he didn't fit into the room", and can never be , well, the Bruins ****ed up and made a terrible deal/conclusion on said player.

Vancouver traded Cam Neely to us because he was not working out there. Who knows what happens if Cam is never traded? He could have been bounced off the team and wenot have power forwards to this day.
 

AngryMilkcrates

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It's remarkable to me how HF posters will hang on to the nonsense whipping boy narratives that develop here over the years.

Because of one "bad" year in Boston (when the whole team sucked and he still had an "abysmal" 40 points as a 23 year old) people look for every reason to **** on this guy. The guy's worst full NHL season was still a 15 goal, 37 point year. The "weak along the boards" thing is such a cop-out and is the typical BS Bruins fans say when they don't like a player who is productive but can't point to any sort of real reason why. You don't put up 22 points in 20 playoff games en route to the finals if you're as soft as people claim he is.

The guy has proven to be a bonafide top 6 winger putting up points a 65 point pace over the last 2 seasons. It's completely asinine to suggest that he wouldn't drastically improve our top 6 which has been looking for a reliable RW since this guy was traded.

Lou is 100% right that if you replace Backes and Kuhlman with Reilly Smith last year there's an undeniably strong chance that puts them over the top. We're talking about a guy who is over a point per game in the playoffs in the last 2 years (and had 8 points in 6 playoff games for Florida in 2016).

If that Reilly Smith isn't good enough to be our 2nd line RW then who is? Are people expecting a 90 point, 50 goal 2nd line guy? Is that the standard here? I just don't get where people's heads are at (j/k actually I know exactly how people think here because I've seen it for years --- they can't process or accept that sometimes the Bruins trade good players when they shouldn't have so they minimize the accomplishments of the player)

I find it hilarious that posters here think they know more than people paid 6 figures when they do not know 10% of the information management does.

Were you there when he was praticing or in the locker room? Were you making notes on his ever shift?

Management was, and they definitely saw something they did not like because they traded a solid point producing young guy they JUST signed to a contract for a gamble project in Jimmy Hayes.

Any manger who makes that bad of a decision for NO reason should be fired for incompetence. Second guessing management based on assumptions of why they traded him areequally foolish. Makes good board debates but is factually baseless.

We will never know why Riley was traded from Boston to Florida, you can assume all you want but using your assumptions as a basis for fact and making judgements upon that is not logic.

You want to debate managements bringing in of Hayes and Backes as bad ideas? Go ahead, lots to support you there. But enough with the shadow arguments over unknown motives.
 

AngryMilkcrates

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True. They made a horrific hockey trade. As bad as the Florida-Vegas one even.

Strange how two teams traded him for a song....almost like there was something they saw that foced them to make such a knowingly disaventageous move.....

PS: SMITH, not Neely. lol
 

Bruinaura

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Ooookay.

Is "white noise" what he hears right before he cheap shots somebody? :sarcasm:
 
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KrejciMVP

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It's remarkable to me how HF posters will hang on to the nonsense whipping boy narratives that develop here over the years.

Because of one "bad" year in Boston (when the whole team sucked and he still had an "abysmal" 40 points as a 23 year old) people look for every reason to **** on this guy. The guy's worst full NHL season was still a 15 goal, 37 point year. The "weak along the boards" thing is such a cop-out and is the typical BS Bruins fans say when they don't like a player who is productive but can't point to any sort of real reason why. You don't put up 22 points in 20 playoff games en route to the finals if you're as soft as people claim he is.

The guy has proven to be a bonafide top 6 winger putting up points a 65 point pace over the last 2 seasons. It's completely asinine to suggest that he wouldn't drastically improve our top 6 which has been looking for a reliable RW since this guy was traded.

Lou is 100% right that if you replace Backes and Kuhlman with Reilly Smith last year there's an undeniably strong chance that puts them over the top. We're talking about a guy who is over a point per game in the playoffs in the last 2 years (and had 8 points in 6 playoff games for Florida in 2016).

If that Reilly Smith isn't good enough to be our 2nd line RW then who is? Are people expecting a 90 point, 50 goal 2nd line guy? Is that the standard here? I just don't get where people's heads are at (j/k actually I know exactly how people think here because I've seen it for years --- they can't process or accept that sometimes the Bruins trade good players when they shouldn't have so they minimize the accomplishments of the player)

Case closed
 

Number8

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That's fair. I know Marchand was butt hurt from getting bounced from the first PP unit at the time. I mean I can't picture Marchand being that petty where he would get the room to turn against him...

I mean, he certainly "turned it around" here

Why Reilly Smith is considered the Golden Knights' best...

There is one thing that really annoys me... When the Bruins trade someone who turns out as good or better somewhere else it's always "he didn't fit into the room", and can never be , well, the Bruins ****ed up and made a terrible deal/conclusion on said player.
I agree that cannot be the blanket approach. Sometimes GM's hit home runs, sometimes they strike out swinging, and sometimes they strikeout looking. Fans should not sugarcoat the later two (particularly the last one) with a simple "he had character issues, blah blah".

I wasn't trying to do that with Smith. Was just remembering there were issues when several of the B's had a problem with his brother Brendan Smith and his borderline play while with the Wings. I believe that caused an issue because R Smith was perceived to be upset over things said about his brother.

That said, I'm assuming that if personalities came into play at all it was only because Smith had some question marks on his overall game and what he might command in salary. In other words the personality issues were not egregious, just another part of the overall reason why they decided to move him. I may have it wrong. I have to confess I was never a huge Smith fan so I wasn't outraged when he left.
 

LouJersey

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Strange how two teams traded him for a song....almost like there was something they saw that foced them to make such a knowingly disaventageous move.....

PS: SMITH, not Neely. lol

Well lets see.

Boston for some reason was obsessed with size after trading Lucic and local kids maybe and made just a horrible deal...."justifying" it by putting Savard's contract in it. He of course was another who "wasn't good in the room", was weak along the boards...not "bruins-like"..

As for the Panthers



https://thehockeywriters.com/3-theories-panthers-golden-knights-generosity/

No theory can soften the blow; the Panthers gave up two top-six – at the very least – forwards in exchange for nothing but a fourth-round draft choice. It was a terrible decision at the time, and only looks worse now.
 
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AngryMilkcrates

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Well lets see.

Boston for some reason was obsessed with size after trading Lucic and local kids maybe and made just a horrible deal...."justifying" it by putting Savard's contract in it. He of course was another who "wasn't good in the room", was weak along the boards...not "bruins-like"..

As for the Panthers



https://thehockeywriters.com/3-theories-panthers-golden-knights-generosity/

No theory can soften the blow; the Panthers gave up two top-six – at the very least – forwards in exchange for nothing but a fourth-round draft choice. It was a terrible decision at the time, and only looks worse now.


Your right.

But why did they do it? Why Smith and not someone else?
My point is that 2 teams dumped him at a large cost to the trading team twice.
Where there is smoke there is fire? But perhaps now I am assuming things.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 

LouJersey

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Your right.

But why did they do it? Why Smith and not someone else?
My point is that 2 teams dumped him at a large cost to the trading team twice.
Where there is smoke there is fire? But perhaps now I am assuming things.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The Bruins traded him thinking they were getting a better, more Bruins like player...Didn't dump him, just made a God awful trade and player evaluation.

The Panthers I would imagine thought Bjugstad was better and Tallon like Dadonov better at shorter term? He also isn't the one that extended Smith, so no connection there. He was given a mandate, he said I won't have money for Marchessault and I can give them 25 million with him. He blew it.
 
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AngryMilkcrates

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The Bruins traded him thinking they were getting a better, more Bruins like player...Didn't dump him, just made a God awful trade and player evaluation.

The Panthers I would imagine thought Bjugstad was better and Tallon like Dadonov better at shorter term? He also isn't the one that extended Smith, so no connection there. He was given a mandate, he said I won't have money for Marchessault and I can give them 25 million with him. He blew it.

See, I don't buy that. Smith was way better a player than Hayes had ever been. They also dumped the Savard contract as well:

Pending trade call, Florida trades Jimmy Hayes to Boston for Reilly Smith
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) July 1, 2015
The Panthers also will take on Marc Savard’s 4 million cap hit over the next two seasons.
Another huge part of the Jimmy Hayes-Reilly Smith trade: Florida also acquires Marc Savard contract
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) July 1, 2015

So it was Smith & Savard LTIR for Jimmy Hayes.

That is a dump, plain and simple. It would be like if we traded Heinen and Backes to Dallas for Ritchie last year.
They could ahve just replaced Smith with a 2nd rounder, but Smith was the centerpiece of this deal.

I think we are arguing over Rorchach blots at this point. You see one thing and I see something else with the same picture.​
 

LouJersey

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See, I don't buy that. Smith was way better a player than Hayes had ever been. They also dumped the Savard contract as well:

Pending trade call, Florida trades Jimmy Hayes to Boston for Reilly Smith
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) July 1, 2015
The Panthers also will take on Marc Savard’s 4 million cap hit over the next two seasons.
Another huge part of the Jimmy Hayes-Reilly Smith trade: Florida also acquires Marc Savard contract
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) July 1, 2015

So it was Smith & Savard LTIR for Jimmy Hayes.

That is a dump, plain and simple. It would be like if we traded Heinen and Backes to Dallas for Ritchie last year.
They could ahve just replaced Smith with a 2nd rounder, but Smith was the centerpiece of this deal.

I think we are arguing over Rorchach blots at this point. You see one thing and I see something else with the same picture.​

hayes was rewarded with a bright and shiny new 2.3m per over 3 years when he was acquired it was anything but a dump. Had it been a dump Hayes would never been given that deal. It was a hockey trade and a terrible one. if they did it as a dump and still gave Hayes that money then the deal is even worse. Florida took dead weight back then constantly for minimal favors, as did the Devils, Coyotes and Islanders. Hayes was coming off a lucky season and with Beleskey the Bruins had their new size and grit they were obsessed with back then.
 
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