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Nelson · 02-09-2018, 10:46 AM

I know I am new here, but I would like to defend the Flames' possible pursuit of Zack Smith. I would be happy if they acquired Smith for, say, Michael Stone.

1) First, if the Flames were to trade for Smith, I would want the Flames to send the Senators a similar contract (Stone, Brouwer, Stone etc). I would prefer Stone because of the length of the contract and Rasmus Andersson.

2) If the Flames were to trade Stone (or another similar contract) for Smith, I would be in favor. The reason is that I believe Zack Smith is actually a solid and underrated player.

This is because of the numbers.

In 16-17, Zack Smith was labelled an effective top-six two-way forward by Rob Vollman, who I trust.
Source: https://public.tableau.com/shared/P8...splay_count=no

In 17-18, Zack Smith was labelled a top-six two-way forward by Rob Vollman.
Source: https://public.tableau.com/shared/2P...splay_count=no

3) Now, one issue is the issue of the player worsening as he turns 30 (he is currently 29 and his contract lasts for 3 full seasons after this one). Moreover, from Vollman's charts, it looks like Smith is already getting worse as he was labelled an effective top-six two-way forward in 16-17 and a top-six two-way forward in 17-18. However, I think the labels in 16-17 and 17-18 are actually not evidence of Smith getting worse, but evidence of him playing in a much harder situation in 17-18. Based on Vollman's charts, Smith is playing harder competition and getting fewer OZS% in 17-18. And he is still putting up solid Corsi For Rel% numbers.

To conclude, I would be happy if the Calgary Flames acquired Zack Smith in return for Stone because it would open up a spot for Rasmus Andersson and Smith seems like a very underrated player. Also, I feel that Stone is overrated.

02-09-2018, 10:46 AM	#7369
Nelson First Line Centre Join Date: Jul 2016 Exp:	I think Zack Smith might be a good target in the right circumstances. I know I am new here, but I would like to defend the Flames' possible pursuit of Zack Smith. I would be happy if they acquired Smith for, say, Michael Stone. 1) First, if the Flames were to trade for Smith, I would want the Flames to send the Senators a similar contract (Stone, Brouwer, Stone etc). I would prefer Stone because of the length of the contract and Rasmus Andersson. 2) If the Flames were to trade Stone (or another similar contract) for Smith, I would be in favor. The reason is that I believe Zack Smith is actually a solid and underrated player. This is because of the numbers. In 16-17, Zack Smith was labelled an effective top-six two-way forward by Rob Vollman, who I trust. Source: https://public.tableau.com/shared/P8...splay_count=no In 17-18, Zack Smith was labelled a top-six two-way forward by Rob Vollman. Source: https://public.tableau.com/shared/2P...splay_count=no 3) Now, one issue is the issue of the player worsening as he turns 30 (he is currently 29 and his contract lasts for 3 full seasons after this one). Moreover, from Vollman's charts, it looks like Smith is already getting worse as he was labelled an effective top-six two-way forward in 16-17 and a top-six two-way forward in 17-18. However, I think the labels in 16-17 and 17-18 are actually not evidence of Smith getting worse, but evidence of him playing in a much harder situation in 17-18. Based on Vollman's charts, Smith is playing harder competition and getting fewer OZS% in 17-18. And he is still putting up solid Corsi For Rel% numbers. To conclude, I would be happy if the Calgary Flames acquired Zack Smith in return for Stone because it would open up a spot for Rasmus Andersson and Smith seems like a very underrated player. Also, I feel that Stone is overrated.