Player Discussion Craig Smith

[Maine Fan]

Consistent Craig Smith: Dependability is the hallmark of new Bruins right wing

“He wants to be throttle down and play with his hair on fire,” said ex-Bruin Hal Gill, now Nashville’s radio analyst. “That’s what he’s made himself into. Heavy on the forecheck. Always grinding. Always moving his legs. Always pushing the pace. He’s streaky. When he gets hot, he is lights out. When he gets dialed in and starts picking corners, there’s a difference in his shot when he gets into that method. He’s finding corners and he’s drilling them.”

“I don’t want to say this as demeaning, but he’s simple. He’s a simple guy,” Gill said. “You don’t need to play the tricks with him. You just tell him what you want. He’ll go and get it. A good Wisconsin boy.”

So if you can trust Hal Gill, I think we will like our new winger.

When he's on a hot streak, at least.

I hope a hot streak is everyday for him

 

[Don Cherry]

still a fan of this signing, but pretty bummed that he was the only real addition. Would have been a big piece in 2019-20 for that run

Yeah. Pretty sad when your big off-season add is a bottom six winger.

 

[The Hockey Tonk Man]

Yeah. Pretty sad when your big off-season add is a bottom six winger.

Yeah, adding a 20 goal scorer sucks....
Charlie Coyle has one 20 goal season.

Craig Smith is an excellent addition to this team

 

[PB37]

Yeah. Pretty sad when your big off-season add is a bottom six winger.

Middle 6 winger. Bottom 6 implies he'd be spending time on the 4th line as well as the third, which he won't be.

 

[Don Cherry]

Middle 6 winger. Bottom 6 implies he'd be spending time on the 4th line as well as the third, which he won't be.

If he's on the top two lines then that's just sad. Therefore he's a bottom six. At least he should be based on talent.

 

[Don Cherry]

Yeah, adding a 20 goal scorer sucks....
Charlie Coyle has one 20 goal season.

Craig Smith is an excellent addition to this team

I didn't say he wasn't a good addition. When Craig Smith is your big add after the "changes are coming" comment then that's just sad.

 

[PB37]

If he's on the top two lines then that's just sad. Therefore he's a bottom six. At least he should be based on talent.

You don't put a 20 goal winger who still has a good amount of hockey left in him on the 4th line. He's a middle 6 winger based on past work and current projected usage.

 

[Gordoff]

welcome Craig:

be prepared for the media onslaught that is Boston.... this is a long way from Nashville

Oh yeah like Haggs, KPD, and Murphy.... Scary.

 

[PB37]

One thing Smith doesn't lack in is effort. Like Gill said, everytime I've watched Smith play, he was always hustling to make a play. He and Coyle should be good together.

 

[Gordoff]

One thing Smith doesn't lack in is effort. Like Gill said, everytime I've watched Smith play, he was always hustling to make a play. He and Coyle should be good together.

Absolutely, we need a few more with that attitude. Too much, too many vanilla type guys IMO. Although I'm feeling some enthusiasm to see Frederik, and Studnicka rockin' & rollin' up here. It's been a tough, long year and we're due some hockey. It reminds me of a lockout year where we've gone without (2004). It just doesn't feel like a natural winter.

 

[hrdpuk]

Welcome Craig Smith

I like this type of player

He'll be able to move into 1st of 2nd line if needed. And he'll be great with Coyle

 

[Don Cherry]

Welcome Craig Smith

I like this type of player

He'll be able to move into 1st of 2nd line if needed. And he'll be great with Coyle

I'm sure this will happen, but I prefer third-liners play on the third line. I have no issue with the signing, but we always get guys that are suited for a certain duty and immediately move them into a role theyre not suited for. We will then all complain about the player not performing well which is not even fair to the player.

 

[22Brad Park]

Yeah, adding a 20 goal scorer sucks....
Charlie Coyle has one 20 goal season.

Craig Smith is an excellent addition to this team

He is a solid addition for sure but its not enough .Especially missing Pasta (based on late Feb return) for about 20 games in that killer division.

 

[HustleB]

If he's on the top two lines then that's just sad. Therefore he's a bottom six. At least he should be based on talent.

In 2018-2019 there were 122 players who scored 20+ goals. That is approximately 4 per team. This means most teams have a couple guys in their top 6 who don’t score 20, so that’s fine.

Couple questions how many other 20 goal scorers do you see as 3rd line players? Who on the Bruins do you see as being top 6.

Marchand Bergeron Pastrnak
X Krejci/Coyle X
X Krejci/Coyle X

DeBrusk is the only guy I have as being a pure top 6 beyond the 5 above. If team philosophy is strength at Center that will come at the cost of your wings or defense. So you can call him bottom 6 but at best that is semantics. Who are your 4 middle 6 wings on this team. To me I have DeBrusk, Smith then Kase in the first three slots. I have Bjork, Ritchie, Studnicka and Kuraly as a dark horse or fall back option. To me this is a normal level of uncertainty. To others it’s evidence that the Bruins are outmatched throughout the lineup.

 

[Sevendust]

Looking forward seeing this guy play. I think that he is perfect fit to the team

 

[ODAAT]

Smith is a guy I felt the B`s should have targeted for the last two deadlines (I`m sure I posted often about him) and not because he has the ability to bring fans out of their seats. My logic was simple, he seems to be a reasonably reliable guy to pop 20+ goals yearly and for a team who is goal starved beyond the Bergy line, I`m ok with a player like Smith. I can also see the flipside of things for some fans being frustrated he appears to be it when it comes to additions but that`s not Smith`s fault

 

[PlayMakers]

I’m excited to see him and am a fan of the player he was but I am a little worried about his age and am a little surprised nobody else has voiced a concern.

 

[CraigBillington]

I’m excited to see him and am a fan of the player he was but I am a little worried about his age and am a little surprised nobody else has voiced a concern.

He's 31, hardly ever hurt, he's missed 26 games in his 9 year career. While he's likely in the latter half of his career, I think at least one 20g, 20a season on this contract won't be out of the question. Two seasons would be fantastic and not unrealistic

 

[PlayMakers]

He's 31, hardly ever hurt, he's missed 26 games in his 9 year career. While he's likely in the latter half of his career, I think at least one 20g, 20a season on this contract won't be out of the question. Two seasons would be fantastic and not unrealistic

31 is danger zone territory. He’s into that phase of his career when guys just lose it. Hopefully that won’t happen, and fwiw I like the idea behind adding a strong 5on5 player to the middle6, so we’re finally not relying on players X, Y and Z to take that elusive next step in order to get some secondary scoring. But historically, signing 31 year old UFA’s hasn’t gone well most of the time.

 

[Mick Riddleton]

Soon as he was signed I though put him with Krech. A pure shooter who actually scores and a pure passer. Put Stud on the left side and never play JDB with Krech again. Coyle is perfect for him and Kase.

 

[BMC]

I didn't say he wasn't a good addition. When Craig Smith is your big add after the "changes are coming" comment then that's just sad.

I have to agree with this. There was so much talk about the Bruins being aggressive in the off season UFA market and once again their actions didn’t match their talk.

No knock against Craig Smith, I think he's a good solid addition to the team but he isn't a superstar either.

 

[Bruinaura]

Looks good

 

[aguineapig]

Welcome to Boston Craig "Shooter" Smith. Take all the shots you can from wherever you can. Hopefully a few find the back of the net, if not you'll take a few shots of your own here on this board!

 

[RoccoF14]

Soon as he was signed I though put him with Krech. A pure shooter who actually scores and a pure passer. Put Stud on the left side and never play JDB with Krech again. Coyle is perfect for him and Kase.

Couldn't have said it better myself. If I could hit "like" on this post 10 times, I would.

Craig Smith is going to be one of the best signings in the league for this past off season. He's gonna get a ton of shots playing on Krech's wing and he's historically shot at a high percentage.

 

[ON3M4N]

Smith is a guy I felt the B`s should have targeted for the last two deadlines (I`m sure I posted often about him) and not because he has the ability to bring fans out of their seats. My logic was simple, he seems to be a reasonably reliable guy to pop 20+ goals yearly and for a team who is goal starved beyond the Bergy line, I`m ok with a player like Smith. I can also see the flipside of things for some fans being frustrated he appears to be it when it comes to additions but that`s not Smith`s fault

He's a guy that flies under the radar. Not a flashy player. I didn't even realize how good he had been until I was looking at scroing among RW's the last 3-5 years and saw how well he takes at 5v5.