Quote:
Originally Posted by VFL615
Him sitting out would not have made him play any differently. He plays hard everytime i watch him. (which is every game). He probably sat out for rest issues not to be "benched".
Sure sitting out for a rest is needed but the belief he needs to ride the pine because he sucks and others like Spaling and Halischuk are better according to some preds fans is simply humiliating for others in the fan base.
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He "may" play hard every game, but he does not play "smart" every game. His defense is mediocre, at best, and just like Wilson, he misses defensive assignments too often to skate the top minutes.
He clearly has more talent than Spaling - offensively - but not on faceoffs, not defensively, and I'd argue that we certainly need guys that fill that role, too. As for "scoring" - how does he compare to Hals again?
I like Smith, but he's not ready to "claim" a spot; he's got to earn it. If Leggy went into a scoring slump like this, or Klein had his defensive lapses, you and the others on the board would be yelling for their scalps. Sure - he's a rookie and they aren't - but that's the whole point - he's not quite "there" yet.