I wonder if they would consider putting Smith on the first line LW. I know that they gave him rave reviews and he does have a wicked shot (moreso in practice than in game). He played some of his best hockey this year when given a prominent offensive role (he was like a ppg or something close). That would allow for Pageau and Zibanejad to stay at centre. I don't think that Pageau really cares where he plays as long as he is in the show.
Smith - Spezza - Ryan
MacArthur - Turris - Michalek
Conacher - Zibanejad - Condra
Greening - Pageau - Neil
Very well balanced line-up. I doubt they move Smith from centre because he's one of our better drawmen, but it would be an interesting experiment anyway. Some size, speed and skill on every line.
Smith's one of our best face-off guys. Considering our team's face-off % last year I doubt they'll be moving him away from the dot. Certainly not to the first line.
Zibanejad on the other hand has been getting schooled in the circle, while he has a much better offensive upside. If anything I could see a top-6 of:
Zibanejad - Spezza - Ryan
MacArthur - Turris - Michalek
I think that would give us two fast, dynamic scoring lines with a bottom-6 that looks something like this:
Greening/Stone - Pageau - Conacher
Condra/Greening - Smith - Neil
2 strong lines (Note: The Pageau/Conacher line might not be big, but don't underestimate them. Very chippy. Very gritty. No quit)
Condra/Smith/Neil would be a solid, hard-hitting shutdown line, while Greening could add a bit of a scoring touch.
Scratch: The Kassassin (vs. anyone but Toronto
)