Quote:
Originally Posted by 101st_fan
He wins faceoffs, he forechecks, he plays defense and kills penalties ... and does those well. That's his role. He would have to lose 43 consecutive draws for his percentage to drop to Spaling's FO%. He's not a scorer .. never has been, never will be but he has a skill set that is much needed when playing teams like the Canucks who usually dominate at the dot and are extremely dangerous on the power play.
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I'm wondering about some nagging injury, because in two of those areas he just doesn't seem like the same player to me. In the penalty kill, Smitty used to play in a lot more aggressively than he does now. He used to try to make some chaos by occasional hitting and jumping into passing lanes. Now, he seems to be playing it ultraconservatively with very little pressure and only using positioning. On the forecheck, he used to do a good job of taking away the middle of the ice and angling the puck carrier. This year, he seem just a little out of position. Improvements in the forechecks of some of our younger players have hidden the fact that Smitty and Legwand have lost a step.