Quote:
Originally Posted by Split98
It would be great if Rittich saw more than half, and I'm hoping that Smith can at least collect the games you expect your 1B to. I don't have a ton of faith in Rittich as a full starter yet either, so I'm hoping for more of a duo, with Rittich getting the tougher starts.
What would really be great is Smith playing as well as expected.
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I really don't see Smith getting to his past form. It would be nice if he developed some consistency though...not sure it can or will happen.
I previously likened Smith's game to a bell curve. His game should have peaked some time ago and he should now be in the declining part of his career. It would be nice if he played consistently like he did for a 15 or 20 game stretch last year but that would be an anomaly and not the norm. Some super skilled athletes can play at a high ability when age catches up with them, but again, that is not the norm.
Smith's play on the ice confirms that his ability has hit the wall and is declining fast. He makes sure both of his feet hug a goal post which is sort of good but then it emphasizes his five hole, especially since he is a tall man. He mainly moves back and forth across the goal line, he rarely comes out to challenge shooters, and his control of rebounds is poor. Plus, he gets rattled and frustrated very easily.
Rittich on the other hand should be on an incline. How far he can raise his game is hard to know as the sample size is so small. The only way to test how far he can better his game is to give him more starts.