Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina
The easy solution is Smith to the wing
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Except the Sharks are (apparently) working on moving Smith to the #2C position. It is one of the things I read when digging into the Sharks prior to the draft. They were starting him out there at the end of last season and their projection for this season is to run Celebrini, Smith, Wennberg as their 1,2,3C.
If they are working on moving Smith to C now, he might not love the idea of being shunted back to the W to make room for Misa (similar to what people are saying about McTavish).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hockey-and_stuff
Frankly there was a lot of chatter before the draft about Misas ability to play C in the NHL too.
Its a good problem for SJ to have. Whoever can't hack it as a C can slide over to the wing out of Celebrini, Smith and Misa.
I wouldn't be trading top 3 picks until one of these guys proves to be an elite talent in the NHL, and it's just too early to make that call on any of these guys yet.
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I mean... this just reinforces the point. Ya, a team can force a player into a different position but if the player doesn't like it then they will ask for a trade.
If McTavish wants out of Anaheim because he feels he is being logjammed or passed on the depth chart (rumoured) then it is conceivable that it would happen to a team like the Sharks where they load up too many guys who all want the same position. None of them are going to be happy with #3C or being punted to the wing if they think they deserve the big job that gets the biggest money.
After Misa's play last season and his climb to #2OA (top forward selected) I doubt he'll entertain the notion of playing for a team that doubts his ability. If the Sharks put Misa on the wing and Misa believes that he can not only play center in the NHL, but he could play as a top line center, then he is going to request a trade to a team that can utilize him that way.
If Misa takes the #2C spot and forces Smith to the wing, then maybe Smith accepts it, or maybe he asks for an out when his ELC runs out.
It will be interesting to see how these situations play out on the Ducks and Sharks, especially as a team actively looking for one of the players that these other teams are overloaded on.