In a season of largely disappointing stats if your name wasn't Erik Karlsson, there was one other Ottawa Senator that stood out, and that was Zack Smith.

For years now, much to my chagrin, the Senators management kept talking about Smith as an offensive option, and trying to force top 6 minutes on a guy who most felt incapable of thriving in that situation.

Well, almost by default, Smith was thrust into that role once again, and this time on a line with Mark Stone and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, he thrived like he never has before.

Up until February 4th, Smith had 9 goals (in 51 games), which is sort of in line with what expectations were, a pace for about 15 over the course of a full season.

Then, inexplicably, he went on a tear and finished the season with 16 goals in his last 30 games, or a pace of almost 44 goals over a full season. He also scored those 16 goals on just 65 shots for a shooting percentage of 24.6, a number that is obviously insustainable over a long period of time.

Smith's streak started at about the same time as Mark Stone's slump ended, and there is no doubt they benefitted from playing with each other, and this was also around the same time that it was acknowledged that Kyle Turris wasn't himself and he was going to be shut down for the season before too long, adding Pageau to the mix. Stone notched 28 points in his last 27 games after trying to unsuccessfully carry Turris and his wonky ankle on his back for the better part of 2 months.

But back to Smith, what can he do this season where he is likely to line up alongside Pageau again, with what could be a revolving door on the right side, depending on who is in the lineup and healthy on any given night?

His previous NHL high was 14 goals, which he surpassed by almost 80%. It is probably too much to ask, or expect, for him to repeat that performance simply because, if things go well, he won't get the same opportunity. Or, is he at this point, a more reliable option that Clarke MacArthur in a thin left side after Mike Hoffman and there is a spot for him alongside Turris and Stone?

That will be one of the big questions to be answered in camp, because the left side went largely unaddressed perhaps with the thinking that Smith can put up 20 or so again this season with a full year of top 6 minutes.

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