martinezsvsu 240 Report post Posted April 18, 2013 smith needs experience, thats the only way to help his decision making. white will walk next year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Crazy 201 Report post Posted April 21, 2013 Smith has all the tools to be a great player he just is a little over excited at times. He rushes plays that are not there and he gets caught pinching in when he shouldn't. He needed a older steady partner (like Cheli) that could groom him this year. His game will come together but it will just take more time. 1 St. Michael (the Red Wing) reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest The Axe Report post Posted April 21, 2013 Quincey had 38 points in his first full season. I'm not giving up on Smith, but it's not like he's shown to be a great defensive guy at any level. He's always been a phyisical/point producer that took a ton of chances. Hopefully he can be Wisniewski-type soon, but right now a Wisniewski-type guy that doesn't produce is a terrible defenseman and that's why he is fighting to have a 6th spot on a bubble playoff team. I'm just not sold that he has the defensive mind to be a reliable #2, and don't want people to be disappointed if he ends up being a good depth man. Fair enough. I see what you are saying. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Pred 48 337 Report post Posted April 21, 2013 De and Smith will be a great pairing. De is responsible on the back end and Smitty given the freedom will be very good offensively. Plus they are both great skaters and can get back in the play on a breakdown. They would complement each over very well. In all honesty I would say that White goes in the summer, we cant keep 9 guys happy and Lashoff will be the 7th D next year. My concern is the lack of output from Quincey this year. Kenny was banking on him to put up decent numbers but this hasn't happened. Nic jnr needs to really tighten up as well. Although one of the top point D men in the league his defence has been less than impressive this term. With the talent we have in the pipeline on D, it wouldn't surprise me if Kronner was used in a deal to land us that out and out scorer we so badly need.He is also our lightest D man, and the Wings D in 2-3 years will all be over 6'2" and 200lb + which is what our coach really wants. Dark horse Jensen hasn't been mentioned yet as I think he'll be given a season in Grand Rapids, but he has a great set of wheels and will fit in well with the direction our D corp seems to be heading. So for me id be happy to let the 10-12 guys we have fight it out for the spots and see what transpires in the off season. Who knows we may have a D looking like this in 14-15. Dekeyser Smith Kindl Jensen Sproul Ericsson Lashoff Ouellete Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crashnburnluder 385 Report post Posted April 21, 2013 god, every time the topic of our D is brought up it really pisses me off that we didn't trade White. If he's not going to play then why keep him? I mean even a 5th round pick is better than another filled seat in the press box. Smitty and Lashoff should split the last spot. Then again, I thought Cola looked pretty goo din the couple games he did play. The problem is I think the reason he wasn't traded is because he is more valuable on our team as an emergency back up then the Conditional 7th round pick that we would have gotten in return. Just like Huskins brought back and just like Redden got St. Louis... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beachwing 426 Report post Posted April 22, 2013 I still have some love for cola cuz dude has a big shot and crazy speed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crashnburnluder 385 Report post Posted April 22, 2013 Talking about Kindl... Isn't he due for a we contract next season... What do you guys think we will end up paying him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anthonyn66 89 Report post Posted April 22, 2013 Carman, you know better. Defenseman prime is 26 to 34. Kindl and Quincy sucked up until this year. There is a much steeper learning curve for an NHL d. Give Smith time, and he is going to be great. That Anaheim game where he put Ryan on his ass gave me a lot of hope for #2. He just needs seasoning and good coaching. And we have a good coach. Quincey still sucks! Can't stand him out there Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evilzyme 769 Report post Posted April 22, 2013 Quincey still sucks! Can't stand him out there His play has improved over the course of the season. He still makes some boneheaded plays and his personality sucks (strictly my opinion, his ego is too big for his play). That being said, he made a nice poised poke check there on the backcheck. The thing that usually burns Quincey is that him and Smith are paired together. Both of them have offensive instincts and want to make the initial pinch. Both have the tendency to want to get involved in the play. Unfortunately, neither of them are good enough to be playing the way they are. Both need to simplify their games and be more observant to the play and each other. Honestly, we just need another good stay at home personality on the back-end. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites