I’m not, nor have I been, concerned about Smith. I think he’s going to be great like he was coming out of the gate last year. I did not like how they rode him but Lack wasn’t getting the job done.
Manage his workload and he’ll be a strong point. Play great in front of all the goalies and the team should create a winning environment where individuals (Gillies, Rittich but also Hanifin and young players) will grow.
This roster should be able to recover from mistakes thus making an environment where players shouldn’t play afraid to make them. That’s on the coaches - you don’t want people running around making mistakes but you can’t hammer them when it does happen. Build them up and inspire confidence. But be demanding and intense.
The coaching staff is where I’ll be looking. I want to see a big improvement with special teams and just how they handle themselves.
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