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Brendan Smith watch thread

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Kronwall had some rough times in his first two seasons.

His first full two seasons, yes, because that dude had a voodoo curse on him for a while. I remember when he was first called up during Injury Disaster 2004 Edition and he knocked everyone's socks off... right before catching a rut during a pregame skate and breaking his leg.

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Smith looks like an upgrade adequate replacement for Stuart for next season.

That's better. Stuart is great, a steady defensive defenseman. His absence will hurt, but Smith will definitely help soften the blow.

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This kids play has been stellar, I think that last d spot is going to be E and Kindl battling it out for playoffs.

He had another big hit tonight, Fraser went to hit him and Smith popped him good.

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hlg=20112012,2,1045&navid=sb:highlights

If you go on there and go to hits fraser on Smith is the one Im talking about. He got Brown with one like that last time. I wish some of his hits would show up on youtube.

Hes had a big one on Kane, Dustin Brown, Colin Fraser and another one against Nashville along the boards but I dont remember who it was on. Wish I could find some videos!

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This kids play has been stellar, I think that last d spot is going to be E and Kindl battling it out for playoffs.

He had another big hit tonight, Fraser went to hit him and Smith popped him good.

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hlg=20112012,2,1045&navid=sb:highlights

If you go on there and go to hits fraser on Smith is the one Im talking about. He got Brown with one like that last time. I wish some of his hits would show up on youtube.

Hes had a big one on Kane, Dustin Brown, Colin Fraser and another one against Nashville along the boards but I dont remember who it was on. Wish I could find some videos!

I love the way Smith plays. Usually with these call-up defense prospects being noticeable is a bad thing, but not with this kid. He plays with remarkable intelligence, skill, and confidence for a young call-up. He has been making some smart pinches to keep the offense going and is really quick on his skates. Really, he has exceeded pretty high expectations given the situation, adding to the offense whenever he is on the ice and playing pretty responsible in his own zone. Physical, offensively inclined, and defensively savvy.

Honestly, come playoffs, both Ericsson and Kindl should be on the outside looking in. I know it probably wouldn't happen, but since White has been playing with Quincey, and has not been his best since Nick went down, and Smith has been pretty phenomenal despite having Janik on the opposite side, I'd love to see Smith given minutes with Lidstrom when he returns (though I'm not sure which side he is used to playing):

Lidstrom-Smith

Stuart-Kronwall

White-Quincey

That is a pretty ridiculous Top 6 when healthy.

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I agree that Smith has looked good for the most part. He seems to have good offensive instincts and plays a physical game with some snarl in it. However, I think he has to iron out a few flaws before he is really ready to take a large role with this team. He seems prone to defensive blunders, and he was directly responsible for Anze Koptiar's short-handed goal last night when he turned the puck over to him on a no-look pass. I also saw a pretty stupid defensive zone turnover and he seemed out of position at times, one time even going deep into the opposing zone and attempting another no look pass back to the point- where he should have been. That being said, he's got a lot of flashiness to his game and he looks like a stud. He reminds me of Kronwall.

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I love the way Smith plays. Usually with these call-up defense prospects being noticeable is a bad thing, but not with this kid. He plays with remarkable intelligence, skill, and confidence for a young call-up. He has been making some smart pinches to keep the offense going and is really quick on his skates. Really, he has exceeded pretty high expectations given the situation, adding to the offense whenever he is on the ice and playing pretty responsible in his own zone. Physical, offensively inclined, and defensively savvy.

Honestly, come playoffs, both Ericsson and Kindl should be on the outside looking in. I know it probably wouldn't happen, but since White has been playing with Quincey, and has not been his best since Nick went down, and Smith has been pretty phenomenal despite having Janik on the opposite side, I'd love to see Smith given minutes with Lidstrom when he returns (though I'm not sure which side he is used to playing):

Lidstrom-Smith

Stuart-Kronwall

White-Quincey

That is a pretty ridiculous Top 6 when healthy.

Still think he's a top pair guy after his two boneheaded turnovers, in two games, leading to two goals? Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

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Still think he's a top pair guy after his two boneheaded turnovers, in two games, leading to two goals? Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

He is a rookie, thats for sure. I think he has the capability to be a first or second pairing defenseman. This is why, if he got called up, I would have played him with Lids the entire season. He needs that veteran leadership. What he doesn't need is 9 minutes of ice time per night in the NHL when he can get 22 minutes per night in the AHL.

Give him time to develop. That has gone so well in the past with players like Flip, Kronwall, Howard, and so on.

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I just want to say this kid has blown my expectations out of the water. I was hoping for at best a quiet, not noticeable player (ie Quincey when we called him up in the playoffs from GR several years ago). He's got a lot of confidence and he sees the ice and what's available so freaking well. 7 points in his first 13 NHL games is phenomenal, especially if you consider he's a defenseman. The +3 ain't too shabby either, considering how s***ty the Wings collectively have been playing.

I will temper my love of this kid by saying he obviously won't replace Lidstrom, or what he means to the team. But I'm comfortable going as far to say he can effectively replace Rafalski, and even surpass him if he stays humble and physical (and tightens up some loose knots in his own zone). In any event this kid was a wonderful draft acquisition. He certainly appears to be the best we've drafted in a while.

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He's got a LONG way to go, but I'm certainly impressed with his skill set and his poise. I think I'm most impressed with his skating.

I agree.

Maturation takes time. I would rather Smith get through these growing pains in the minors than in the NHL. Case in point, the two turnovers in the defensive zone that resulted in goals a few games back. People here on LGW and other forums I have read gave him a lot of flak. You can bet Smith was giving himself a lot of flak for those plays. That is how you learn in hockey though. Lids was never the perfect human at the start of his career.

At the same time though, if he has an opportunity to learn from Lids next year, I say he should be brought up. I just don't like him playing 3rd line minutes when he can get top line minutes in the AHL.

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I agree.

Maturation takes time. I would rather Smith get through these growing pains in the minors than in the NHL. Case in point, the two turnovers in the defensive zone that resulted in goals a few games back. People here on LGW and other forums I have read gave him a lot of flak. You can bet Smith was giving himself a lot of flak for those plays. That is how you learn in hockey though. Lids was never the perfect human at the start of his career.

At the same time though, if he has an opportunity to learn from Lids next year, I say he should be brought up. I just don't like him playing 3rd line minutes when he can get top line minutes in the AHL.

I disagree, this is the time he should be up. You have no idea if Lidstrom is returning. This time I don't feel a player should rot in the AHL.

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Maturation takes time. I would rather Smith get through these growing pains in the minors than in the NHL.

He wont have these growing pains in the AHL. Hes too good for that competition and the little s*** he gets away with down there will make him develop habits he cant get away with at this level. He seems to already be ironing some wrinkles out of his game already

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Looked pretty good to me, tonight. He's the real deal, no doubt. Under the Babs regime, it'll take him more than a few games to move up in the depth chart, but, performance-wise, I don't really see a reason to put him in the A any longer.

Nyquist is getting run over too much, he's got a fair bit to go, strength-wise.

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Looked pretty good to me, tonight. He's the real deal, no doubt. Under the Babs regime, it'll take him more than a few games to move up in the depth chart, but, performance-wise, I don't really see a reason to put him in the A any longer.

Nyquist is getting run over too much, he's got a fair bit to go, strength-wise.

I was thinking the same thing, but at the very least he has the spunk to race into the dirty areas and fight for the hard to get pucks. Once he adds a little muscle to him that part of his game should really stand out, especially considering his flair for stick-handling in tight areas.

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Being over in England I don't get to watch much Minor League hockey (if at all) so he has impressed me greatly. Last night he managed to read plays and cut out passing lanes at least 2 or 3 times. He's like the sort of defenceman we build around and, to a certain extent, wanted Ericsson to be - play smart, sensible hockey that takes away chances before they even begin to develop. He's going to be big, so give him some Major time

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