Confirmed with Link: Leafs sign Smithson to NHL contract

[hotpaws]

And what a civil board this would be if people thought logically before questioning every single move and treating the Leafs like a video game roster.

This fanbase could learn to pick their battles better.

Kicking up a stink over McKegg vs. Smithson for the 4th line centre position is not one of them.

Your problem is you don't question any move the team makes . You just blindly support every move and criticize anyone who may disagree .

 

[Primary Assist]

I tried scanning through the pages and also capgeek but haven't found anything

Is there any word on the conract $$?

I believe it's league minimum, which is $550,000. We can bury his contract once we need to send him back down.

 

[dfunk]

I believe it's league minimum, which is $550,000. We can bury his contract once we need to send him back down.

Decent!

 

[crump]

This guy is a perfect injury replacement for filling in bottom centre position. Won't score a bunch, but can burn some valuable minutes safely while top line players rest. Easily called up and down when needed, has experience.

I think the stats say his faceoff prowess would produce a goal every 1000 faceoffs. So he's basically there to just hold the fort when ahead or kill time until first line players are rested. He looks like Larry's brother too.

 

[Duke Silver]

Sigh...

They're his faceoff statistics. Look it up.

I asked you to show your workings. If you're the intelligent one in this debate (and you clearly must feel that way based on your arrogance) then surely you can educate us miscreants.

Predictable condescending answer: "I don't have time to educate you blah blah blah."

First of all, faceoff statistics are way overblown. A guy who's "excellent" at faceoffs by winning 57% wins maybe 1 or 2 faceoffs every 3 games more than average. Second of all what happened to "faceoff master" Bozak? I thought that was one of the reasons Nonis overpaid a 3rd liner?

Bozak hadn't dipped below 52.6% in his 3 previous seasons. Not sure what happened this year. It was an asset of his.

"They're his faceoff statistics. Look it up."

If you want to look at faceoffs purely on a quantifiable basis over laughably small sample sizes, then yes I suppose you could say faceoffs are overblown. But in the last minute of a game, or on the penalty kill, that's where this extra edge can be a huge determinant in the outcome of a game. I thought you PPPers were all about possession.....hmm.

Speaking of the penalty kill, the Leafs are missing their second and third-best penalty killers. There's a need on this team for help in the penalty kill ranks. Does McKegg provide that? Because Smithson certainly does. He's a PK specialist who is unafraid to block shots. He finished top-2 amongst forwards on Nashville in blocks-per-game during his tenure there.

Sure it is, it's not just your mind getting narrower and narrower.. Yes he is, because he's in the system, already on a league minimum contract, and why not give a prospect some exposure? While we're at it, why are we playing 2 useless players anyway? Why not ice a proper 3rd line?

Ignoring the fact you're attacking the poster and not the message, you still haven't answered the question, so how about I ask you in bullet form:

• How is this team better with McKegg playing 4th line minutes and penalty kill time instead of Smithson?
• How is playing McKegg 4-5 minutes per night good for his own development when he could be getting top-line minutes with PP time with the Marlies?

I mean, it's not like he's setting the world on fire down there.

Also, you keep flip-flopping. Is McKegg playing third or fourth line minutes in your scenario? If the third, your crack about "tough minutes" becomes null and void, because those are exactly the sort of minutes McKegg would play. If the fourth, then my questions about the utility of putting an inexperienced 21-year old between two facepunchers for 4-5 minutes a game continue to persist.

McKegg is in the system on a cheap contract already, instead of adding another contract for a terrible player to a cap crunch team. My ignorance of Smithson's abilities? What abilities? He's awful, and not an upgrade over anybody in the system.

Seems like you're the one displaying your own ignorance about how good hockey teams are constructed.

If the Leafs call up McKegg, he takes up $660,000 worth of space. Smithson only takes up $550,000 worth of space. Solve for 'x'. So if this really was an issue of being in a cap crunch (see: it isn't), the Smithson move would be the better one from a pure $ perspective.

Yet with all of that being said I'm not sure if you understand how contract cap hits work. Why is adding another (cheaper) contract an issue when in either case, both Smithson and McKegg's contracts come off our cap when they're eventually demoted?

Simply put, the fact your entire opinion of Smithson is based on the fact Edmonton didn't re-sign him last season is, well, simple.

Not difficult when your general manager isn't very good most of the time. I think I'm smarter than a potato, are you?

Oh so you're one of THOSE people. Now I understand where the condescension comes from. Too much PPP for you.

 

[Body Check]

I thought Smithson was solid. He won 8/9 draws and killed penalties. Every team needs a solid defensive center. Great short-term fit....maybe longer.

 

[Rogie]

He's like a badger on faceoffs, REALLY REALLY DIGS IN.

 

[Al14]

He's like a badger on faceoffs, REALLY REALLY DIGS IN.

Too many of our centres are too nonchalant taking faceoffs. It's good to see someone CONCENTRATE.

 

[Patience]

I agree that faceoffs are becoming hugely overrated. That doesn't mean that I don't want the team to be their best at winning faceoffs but even very good faceoff guys lose over 40% of their faceoffs. I'd much rather have the team average 50% and be good at what happens after the play starts whether after a faceoff win or loss.

The difference between a 55% faceoff guy vs. a 50% faceoff guy? Leafs average 65 faceoffs per game this season. A 55% faceoff guy taking 1/3 of the draws will win just 1 extra draw per game than a 50% faceoff guy! (5% x 22 faceoffs)

Anyways, I liked what I saw of Smithson. He's a much better hockey player than Dave Steckel. He's going to be part of a legitimate 4th line that can play in all situations.

 

[The Caveman]

I would like to see a stat about winning "important" faceoffs. All FaceOffs are not the same.

ie. in D zone, on PK, last minutes of games. I agree that they may be a bit overblown, but i would rather start with the puck in those situations than not.

Smithson has done what was asked of him. For the price tag, its a good signing.

 

[rimshot]

Sigh...



They're his faceoff statistics. Look it up.



First of all, faceoff statistics are way overblown. A guy who's "excellent" at faceoffs by winning 57% wins maybe 1 or 2 faceoffs every 3 games more than average. Second of all what happened to "faceoff master" Bozak? I thought that was one of the reasons Nonis overpaid a 3rd liner?



Sure it is, it's not just your mind getting narrower and narrower.. Yes he is, because he's in the system, already on a league minimum contract, and why not give a prospect some exposure? While we're at it, why are we playing 2 useless players anyway? Why not ice a proper 3rd line?



McKegg is in the system on a cheap contract already, instead of adding another contract for a terrible player to a cap crunch team. My ignorance of Smithson's abilities? What abilities? He's awful, and not an upgrade over anybody in the system.

Seems like you're the one displaying your own ignorance about how good hockey teams are constructed.



Not difficult when your general manager isn't very good most of the time. I think I'm smarter than a potato, are you?

Perhaps you give yourself too much credit as some Russets are surprisingly quick on the up-take...wait, that was Tim Russert and no, he wasn't.

 

[Trainspotter]

They're his faceoff statistics. Look it up.

Yes they are. But anyone with a modicum of intelligence asks questions like "what are his faceoff statistics like recently?" Because, you know, players improve or decline over time.

First of all, faceoff statistics are way overblown. A guy who's "excellent" at faceoffs by winning 57% wins maybe 1 or 2 faceoffs every 3 games more than average.

And it just so happens in his last three full seasons, Smithson ranks in the "excellent" category with percentages of 58, 57 and 54, respectively. Of course you're missing the forest for the trees because you can't send the same guy out to take every faceoff. You need several above average guys. If, as some fancystats guys allege, each faceoff win can result in 10 seconds of possession and good possession teams have the puck about 2 minutes more than bad ones, having 4 good faceoff men could give you 30-40 seconds of possession. Of course, let's also just ignore that a good faceoff man doesn't just win more draws, he can effect how they're lost. Less clean losses is a good thing.

Second of all what happened to "faceoff master" Bozak? I thought that was one of the reasons Nonis overpaid a 3rd liner?

He's hurt, or did you miss that while you were cherry picking stats and removing them from all reasonable context? As I said above, you need more than one guy to have a team that is strong on draws.

McKegg is in the system on a cheap contract already, instead of adding another contract for a terrible player to a cap crunch team. My ignorance of Smithson's abilities? What abilities? He's awful, and not an upgrade over anybody in the system.

McKegg can barely score in the AHL and he's certainly no defensive or PK stalwart. What is it that he's going to bring to the table? Smith is a better AHL player than McKegg and he was often ineffective in the NHL.

Seems like you're the one displaying your own ignorance about how good hockey teams are constructed.

Says the guy who figures you don't need more than one centre capable of winning a draw.

 

[p.l.f.]

He's been good in his little role