pearcey
Registered User
- Jun 14, 2013
- 102
- 0
Why does he play 15 minutes a night? Honestly why? Scoring is down 33% from last year. We don't need him defensively with Grant, Turris, Spezza. I keep hearing he is our most consistent player. What is that honestly good for? Possession time? Because last time i checked that doesn't win games. The secondary scoring on this team has been atrocious this year and I'm looking right at Zack Smith who centers that 3rd line. Just some stats here but in 154 games played Neil, Smith, Condra, Greening, Conacher, Pageau, Kassian, Grant, Da Costa have scored 11 goals and 25 points. While in 120 games played Phillips, Cowen, Corvo, Gryba, Wiercoich, Methot and Boro have scored 8 goals and 33 points(9 points on PP). Most of those defensemen are defensive defensemen.
Overall we need more offense coming from other lines. Smith is taking up 15 minutes when really he would be most effective with 8 or 9. I don't care if he is playing the best hockey of his career,if he isn't helping us win he is helping us lose. Also the same goes for Neil. Much more effective at 8 minutes, more energy per shift.
My personal solution is to either bring up Pageau or trade Smith+ to get a decent winger(Brad Boyes) that can play with Spezza and move Zibanejad to the 3rd line center role. I completely understand this isn't the main problem right now but with Murray stating he isn't going to make any moves this is the one problem we can fix from inside the organization by sitting/sending down Smith and bringing in Pageau. I understand we are clearly on a strict budget but if we aren't bringing Pageau up because we can't send someone like Smith down that is ridicuolous. Smith just doesn't deserve the time he is getting and there is someone that is better for the team that can replace him on the 3rd and 4th line(Grant and Pageau). For those who think Pageau lost his spot because he didn't preform when he had the chance how is an offensive player supposed to preform with Kassian on his wing? Another example of Paul Mclean bringing someone in with no opportunity to succeed and every opportunity to fail.
My forward lines with the team we have now would be
MacArthur - Turris - Ryan
Michalek - Spezza - Zibanejad
Greening - Pageau - Condra
Conacher - Grant - Neil
Give me your thoughts and opinions on Smith, Pageau and what our lines should be.
Overall we need more offense coming from other lines. Smith is taking up 15 minutes when really he would be most effective with 8 or 9. I don't care if he is playing the best hockey of his career,if he isn't helping us win he is helping us lose. Also the same goes for Neil. Much more effective at 8 minutes, more energy per shift.
My personal solution is to either bring up Pageau or trade Smith+ to get a decent winger(Brad Boyes) that can play with Spezza and move Zibanejad to the 3rd line center role. I completely understand this isn't the main problem right now but with Murray stating he isn't going to make any moves this is the one problem we can fix from inside the organization by sitting/sending down Smith and bringing in Pageau. I understand we are clearly on a strict budget but if we aren't bringing Pageau up because we can't send someone like Smith down that is ridicuolous. Smith just doesn't deserve the time he is getting and there is someone that is better for the team that can replace him on the 3rd and 4th line(Grant and Pageau). For those who think Pageau lost his spot because he didn't preform when he had the chance how is an offensive player supposed to preform with Kassian on his wing? Another example of Paul Mclean bringing someone in with no opportunity to succeed and every opportunity to fail.
My forward lines with the team we have now would be
MacArthur - Turris - Ryan
Michalek - Spezza - Zibanejad
Greening - Pageau - Condra
Conacher - Grant - Neil
Give me your thoughts and opinions on Smith, Pageau and what our lines should be.