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Jedi

1/7 GDT: Red Wings 3 at Flames 2

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Smith adds nothing. He just barely gets by which is an improvement I guess. Still disappointed in his development. He should be contributing by this point in his career. You just watch Kindl with bias. He usually is our best defensemen in the offensive zone, which isn't saying much, but it's very valuable to the team

I could see how this would be a valid complaint last year, but this year Smith has been very steady. Still not the offensive defensman that I was anticipating, but he has been the best defender we've had at moving the puck up ice under pressure, and I include Kronwall in that list. That's something we should be welcoming considering how badly the Wings have struggled escaping their zone under pressure in the recent past. He's playing much smarter hockey than he was last year, much more consistent, much more reliable in his own end. He's also our toughest defender.

Just a side question: how far did you expect Smith to develop at this point? Collectively he has played less than two NHL seasons' worth of games (currently at 154). That's not a whole lot of time to adapt, especially for a defensman, and especially for a defensman who plays under Babcock. Give him some time, he's trending up. And its not like he's hurting the team out there in the mean time.

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