So comparing Kelly of this year to last year is what your baseline is? That's your problem. Last year he was so bad, I don't know how they didn't use the compliance buyout option on him this summer, tbh. So saying he's looked better is hilarious to me, since there was nowhere to go but up. That being said, is he looking more like Kelly of old, or just better than the bag of suck he was last season? I see it as being slightly better than last year, but not worthy of a spot on the third line.
No, my baseline isn't last year and I didn't state as much in that post. I said he looks markedly better than he did last year. He had nowhere to go but up? No, not really. He could've continued to suck (that I readily admitted last year) and he's not this year. That was my supposition. Reading anything else into that is of your doing, not mine. Do I believe he's closer to playing to his 2011 levels? Yes. I explained how based on what I've seen. I see the initial burst of speed that is reminiscent of his 2011 play, I see him playing the body better and creating space in front of the net for his more offensively talented wingers which is more reminiscent of his 2011 play, whereas last year he was sorely lacking in the physical component of his game. You missed it in my edit, but as I've described to you concretely what I've seen that indicates Kelly is playing well, I'd ask that you define concretely what it is you're seeing that leads you to your opinion that he's not worthy of a spot on the third line.
It's amusing to me that you go so far out of your way to defend Kelly and continually blame his line mates from last year. The reason they constantly shuffled line mates on that line last year was because he was so colossally bad, that they needed to. And no matter who went down there, he played lousy hockey.
As stated above, the 'continually defending Kelly' thing is amusing as again, I had no problem then and have no problem now stating that he was bad last year. Bad. Stinkpot. You're being a tad prone to hyperbole with these statement though. Are crappy linemates the sole reason the third line unit struggled last year? Nope. I never said that. Are you going to sit here and tell me that Jay Pandolfo and Chris Bourque were serviceable NHL players last year?
Let me ask you this. Do you see the chemistry Soda and Smith have right now? Now ask yourself if Kelly is doing anything to help or improve that offense? To me the answer is more than obvious. Spooner may come in and flame out, but I've seen more than enough of Kelly and his sub par play the last two seasons to want to see someone else get a shot. The whole concept of scoring by committee only works if there are three lines that can score. Right now, they're down a line.
I'm going to assume you asking me about the chemistry between Smith and Soderberg is a rhetorical question. Now, the answer to the real question, the answer is obvious and I've stated it at least 2-3 times in this thread (and probably the Smith and Soderberg threads as well). When two young wingers, both new to the system, come in and have an immediate impact one should absoutely laud them for their efforts. Both appear to be on their way to productive careers in this league. Do I see Kelly holding the center ice positioning in order to give the wings some room in order to maneuver in the offensive zone? Yep. Do I see Kelly creating space in front of the crease to provide wider shooting lanes? Yep. Do I see the coaching staff saying those very things? Yep. Do I see the wingers themselves saying those things about their play as a line? Yep. To say that Kelly
has nothing at all to do with their success is shortsighted, IMO, and serving to reinforce already-held beliefs about a player based on past performance.
That's what I see. Is it the immediately recognizable passes/assists that a more talented offensive player contributes to the offensive scheme? No. Is offense the only way to contribute to a successful offensive outcome? No. Can solid offensive opportunities be born of good defensive plays? Yep.
This team does that a lot and has over the last 3-4 years of it's success. This third line, as currently construed, has demonstrated exactly that in the last two weeks.
Anyhow, I need to actually do something non-hockey discussion related with the day, so I'm begging out for a bit. I'll take all comers later today.