Hmmm. Stan has had his eye on him for some time now...that sounds familiar!!!! Jurco....
- glennjpawlak22

Standard MO on all of his aqusitions

Sounds great, but Smith and AA play different positions. Smith is a bottom 6 wing. The Hawks have 42 of them. AA is a 3C. The Hawks now have Toews, Strome and Kampf (and a few who can "slot in". They are weaker today down the middle. Hopefully Stan trades a defenseman for a 3C.
- mohel

Smith played mostly C last season and prefers C. If dach makes team he will slot in at 3c and smith wing. If not, smith will be fine in the 3c role

But sending him back down a portion of his salary is accounted towards the teams salary cap.

Considering right now they have when you drop down to 7 defenseman they have just over 4 million left with roughly 3 to 4 more players to add to fill the roster.

Being up against the cap just means Stan has to be more conscience in salaries if someone gets injured for a short period.
- Taylorst1

Lol.

The two biggest advocates of this trade...1 didnt know Smith was used on the PK last season (most of any Fs in OTT) and the other thought he was strictly LW last season (mostly C last year)

Its pretty obvious the people who hate this trade really don't know much about smith as a player. IF thats the case, why not have a wait and see attitude about this all? Why be so vocal about a player you know very little about. I dont get it at all.
- Bhawks35

And the stats LBR showed you above indicate the Hawks got a rapidly declining replacement level player, whose days as a center are rapidly ending. So who is the one who knows nothing about Smith?

It's a style/player type trade that also nets a valuable $1.3 mil in cap savings. StanBo blew threw that Cap Space we thought we had pretty quick, so the savings are a big part of the trade. Ultimately, the StanBo athletic quote shows that the move was also about getting a hard-nosed and gritty guy that lays the body and gets under the opponent's skin. Shaw, Caggiulla, Smith, Carpenter all make the Hawks harder to play against, which StanBo appears to have identified as a big weakness last year.
- EnzoD

IMO the Hawks needed to be tougher to play against-- and that quote you included from an eastern scout was spot on--- they are filling up the room with character energy guys-- which they always had on the SC winning teams-- until the cap decimated the depth-- and never replaced--

Maybe another move for a C is on the horizon-- or they might know exactly what they have waiting in #77--- who has a chance to earn a spot on the roster--

Time will tell-- but personally I like that they have been active-- IMO they should have been more proactive last couple years rather than BS ing the fan base-- telling us they were a playoff team-- that was an insult to the experienced hockey fan-- and cost them season ticket holders-- including myself--

Lol.
- mohel

He’s learning, nothing wrong with that, certainly no reason to lol.

The two biggest advocates of this trade...1 didnt know Smith was used on the PK last season (most of any Fs in OTT) and the other thought he was strictly LW last season (mostly C last year)

Its pretty obvious the people who hate this trade really don't know much about smith as a player. IF thats the case, why not have a wait and see attitude about this all? Why be so vocal about a player you know very little about. I dont get it at all.
- Bhawks35

I'm aware of Smith, he's a bottom 6 defensive forward, he's a specialist in his role. He's a "big guy" 210lb that throws his weight around, blocks shots, kills penalties and is above average on draws and is excellent in his own end... He can also score if he has an opportunity.

For Hawks fans complaining - a good comparison for Smith would be a mix between John Madden and Andrew Desjardins but he puts up points like Madden.... You know, those 2 guys that helped the Hawks win Stanley Cups??

Sorry but Madden is retired, and who knows what happened to Desi... But Smith will play the same role, have the same responsibilities and have the same if not more impact as Madden and Desi, Smith just plays with more intensity and gives 100% every shift, I mean the guy is a veteran and a master at his "craft"..

Good/great teams need guys like Smith.. Some may laugh but guys like Smith play big roles in deep playoff runs.... Offense alone doesn't win you Cups, you need a deep competent cohesive bottom 6 that specialize on the defensive side of the game, guys that can throw their weight around and put max pressure on the offense, swarm, dig pucks out of the corners, block shots, draw penalties -- you know -- elite bottom 6 players.... And yes, there is such a thing as an "elite bottom 6 player", and I wouldn't be hard pressed to place Smith in that category, add Carpenter into the mix with Caggiula, Shaw, Perlini???, heck even Entwhistle and the Hawks have one hell of a bottom 6.. I mean I don't think most Hawks fans realize how deep this team actually is - at pretty much every position..

Bowman is really trying to build a team here that can make a Cup run, yeah I know some may laugh at that but Bowman has done it 3 times already, so I wouldn't laugh. Bowman knows how to build a team(s) that can win Cups, yes I'm sure some of you laugh at these minor moves like trading for Smith, Nylander, Maatta, De Haan and Shaw then signing Carpenter, Lehner (probably not upset about Lehner tho) but it's those type of moves that really improve your team, Bowman saw exactly why the Hawks were a tirefire last season and he addressed ALL of those issues.. We had no problem scoring last season so THAT wasn't an issue - our top 6 is fine - the actual issue was that Bowman was stuck garbage picking UFA's last summer due to lack of cap, so he couldn't put together an adequate bottom 6 or an average defense, then when Crow went down.... Well....

This team has/have had all the important pieces to be legitimate contenders every season for the last decade, but due to the cap the problem is fitting the supporting cast - the right supporting cast (depth) - within the confines of the salary cap.. Fortunately, this season Bowman was able to go out and get the players he wanted to fill the holes in the lineup instead of the players he could afford..

Wonder what the Vegas odds are on the Hawks winning the Cup??? or at the very least going to the final or even winning the Central Division?? because I'm betting the Hawks are going to shock many people and I want to get in on the action while I can make some good money..... Because I believe this team is criminally underrated...

All Bowman is doing is literally rebuilding the 2012/2015 team by trading for and signing comparable players to the ones we lost due to the salary cap.. The similarities are pretty hard for me to overlook...

[quote=mohel]And the stats LBR showed you above indicate the Hawks got a rapidly declining replacement level player, whose days as a center are rapidly ending. So who is the one who knows nothing about


And another 2009 hockey baby speaks. Welcome

Sounds great, but Smith and AA play different positions. Smith is a bottom 6 wing. The Hawks have 42 of them. AA is a 3C. The Hawks now have Toews, Strome and Kampf (and a few who can "slot in". They are weaker today down the middle. Hopefully Stan trades a defenseman for a 3C.
- mohel

Smith is a bottom 3 guy. Just saying.

I'm aware of Smith, he's a bottom 6 defensive forward, he's a specialist in his role. He's a "big guy" 210lb that throws his weight around, blocks shots, kills penalties and is above average on draws and is excellent in his own end... He can also score if he has an opportunity.

For Hawks fans complaining - a good comparison for Smith would be a mix between John Madden and Andrew Desjardins but he puts up points like Madden.... You know, those 2 guys that helped the Hawks win Stanley Cups??

Sorry but Madden is retired, and who knows what happened to Desi... But Smith will play the same role, have the same responsibilities and have the same if not more impact as Madden and Desi, Smith just plays with more intensity and gives 100% every shift, I mean the guy is a veteran and a master at his "craft"..

Good/great teams need guys like Smith.. Some may laugh but guys like Smith play big roles in deep playoff runs.... Offense alone doesn't win you Cups, you need a deep competent cohesive bottom 6 that specialize on the defensive side of the game, guys that can throw their weight around and put max pressure on the offense, swarm, dig pucks out of the corners, block shots, draw penalties -- you know -- elite bottom 6 players.... And yes, there is such a thing as an "elite bottom 6 player", and I wouldn't be hard pressed to place Smith in that category, add Carpenter into the mix with Caggiula, Shaw, Perlini???, heck even Entwhistle and the Hawks have one hell of a bottom 6.. I mean I don't think most Hawks fans realize how deep this team actually is - at pretty much every position..

Bowman is really trying to build a team here that can make a Cup run, yeah I know some may laugh at that but Bowman has done it 3 times already, so I wouldn't laugh. Bowman knows how to build a team(s) that can win Cups, yes I'm sure some of you laugh at these minor moves like trading for Smith, Nylander, Maatta, De Haan and Shaw then signing Carpenter, Lehner (probably not upset about Lehner tho) but it's those type of moves that really improve your team, Bowman saw exactly why the Hawks were a tirefire last season and he addressed ALL of those issues.. We had no problem scoring last season so THAT wasn't an issue - our top 6 is fine - the actual issue was that Bowman was stuck garbage picking UFA's last summer due to lack of cap, so he couldn't put together an adequate bottom 6 or an average defense, then when Crow went down.... Well....

This team has/have had all the important pieces to be legitimate contenders every season for the last decade, but due to the cap the problem is fitting the supporting cast - the right supporting cast (depth) - within the confines of the salary cap.. Fortunately, this season Bowman was able to go out and get the players he wanted to fill the holes in the lineup instead of the players he could afford..

Wonder what the Vegas odds are on the Hawks winning the Cup??? or at the very least going to the final or even winning the Central Division?? because I'm betting the Hawks are going to shock many people and I want to get in on the action while I can make some good money..... Because I believe this team is criminally underrated...

All Bowman is doing is literally rebuilding the 2012/2015 team by trading for and signing comparable players to the ones we lost due to the salary cap.. The similarities are pretty hard for me to overlook...
- Savard2Secord

A sensible, well thought out opinion from a person who doesnt only view players by looking at nhl.com/stats

Thank you!

He’s learning, nothing wrong with that, certainly no reason to lol.
- walleyeb1

Thanks for the input. He presents things like he's positive all the time. He's not asking questions when he doesn't know. The LOL stands.

Smith isn't excellent in his own end. He just spends a lot of time there these days.

I’m not sure what you’re going for with this comparison of Smith and AA. Per LBR they played against the same quality of competition last year and had similar numbers. So they were lining up against the same opponents and had the same results, AA at center and Smith at wing. How would that make AA more of a liability in the bottom 6? Or “not in his league”?
- John McDonough

What I'm going for, and the usage the last 5 yrs makes it clear, is that Smith has been (is) a shutdown forward (bottom 6) and AA has been (is) a top 6 forward. Not sure how close the quality of competition would be between the two players with the stark difference in zone starts.

Smith Ozone starts last 5 yrs starting with last yr. 41%, 45, 49, 42, 44.
AA Ozone starts last 5 yrs. 54%, 53, 65, 67 (all as a Hawk) 45 (CLB).

If I need a top 6 player I want AA. If I want a bottom 6 player with grit, can win a draw, get in on the forecheck, knock someone down with some nasty I want Smith.

[quote=mohel]And the stats LBR showed you above indicate the Hawks got a rapidly declining replacement level player, whose days as a center are rapidly ending. So who is the one who knows nothing about


And another 2009 hockey baby speaks. Welcome
- Bhawks35

Solid reply.

If colliton is still using the man to man system again this year and probably is. There is no way anisimov can survive a full year of that strategy. He just doesn't have the legs for it at all! I like Smith's game for sure! He reminds me alot of how bolland used to play! Should be fun! Like to see him Shaw and Caggiula on same line just to stir the pot a bit! The same pot that was used earlier today tho! Ha ha!
- Like_a_Hoss

I tend to agree, man to man defense you need high energy guys, Shaw, Caggiula, Carpenter, Kampf and Smith I'm okay with that for my bottom 6, would of preferred AA but i can live with this deal, but the missing link is Perlini, there you go our 3rd line center

Solid reply.
- mohel

But not wrong . Welcome to hockey. Its a great game. Enjoy.

Going into the summer the Hawks needed to: fix blue line, fix bottom six, fix their PK, get stronger in net.

Have they not done all of those things? A lot of posters on this board were very against the Hawks spending big on one free agent and preferred Stan Bowman to go out and fill their needs with a lot of quality players; why the angst now? Stan Bowman did what the majority of posters here wanted, and a lot of people are against it now.

From everything I have read coming out of Ottawa, Zack Smith was a GREAT character guy and is willing to play whatever role his TEAM needs. If that means he is a fourth line shut down guy, GREAT. That's exactly what the Blackhawks need.

In my opinion, this team is significantly better than they were three months ago at the conclusion of their season. If Kirby Dach makes the team, it's icing on the cake.

Smith is a bottom 3 guy. Just saying.
- Elbows15

I was being generous.

To some, he's a center upgrade over AA. I'll have some of what they're smoking. Are you new to hockey as well? I read that one must have only watched the game since 2009 to believe AA is a better center than Smith.

Nylander & Smith
let’s see how these deals unfold before judging

But not wrong . Welcome to hockey. Its a great game. Enjoy.
- Bhawks35

Totally wrong, but not worth discussing with a sharp guy like you.

Going into the summer the Hawks needed to: fix blue line, fix bottom six, fix their PK, get stronger in net.

Have they not done all of those things? A lot of posters on this board were very against the Hawks spending big on one free agent and rather going out and filling their needs with a lot of quality players; why the angst now? Stan Bowman did what the majority of posters here did, and a lot of people are against it.

From everything I have read coming out of Ottawa, Zack Smith was a GREAT character guy and is willing to play whatever role his TEAM needs. If that means he is a fourth line shut down guy, GREAT. That's exactly what the Blackhawks need.

In my opinion, this team is significantly better than they were three months ago at the conclusion of their season. If Kirby Dach makes the team, it's icing on the cake.
- frafra

👍🏻

Also, it'll be tough for Smith to contribute to the PK if he's the one in the box.

Per Ottawa's blogger Smith is 14th in the league in minor penalties over the last 4 seasons, for comparison AA... 347th

I'm aware of Smith, he's a bottom 6 defensive forward, he's a specialist in his role. He's a "big guy" 210lb that throws his weight around, blocks shots, kills penalties and is above average on draws and is excellent in his own end... He can also score if he has an opportunity.

For Hawks fans complaining - a good comparison for Smith would be a mix between John Madden and Andrew Desjardins but he puts up points like Madden.... You know, those 2 guys that helped the Hawks win Stanley Cups??

Sorry but Madden is retired, and who knows what happened to Desi... But Smith will play the same role, have the same responsibilities and have the same if not more impact as Madden and Desi, Smith just plays with more intensity and gives 100% every shift, I mean the guy is a veteran and a master at his "craft"..

Good/great teams need guys like Smith.. Some may laugh but guys like Smith play big roles in deep playoff runs.... Offense alone doesn't win you Cups, you need a deep competent cohesive bottom 6 that specialize on the defensive side of the game, guys that can throw their weight around and put max pressure on the offense, swarm, dig pucks out of the corners, block shots, draw penalties -- you know -- elite bottom 6 players.... And yes, there is such a thing as an "elite bottom 6 player", and I wouldn't be hard pressed to place Smith in that category, add Carpenter into the mix with Caggiula, Shaw, Perlini???, heck even Entwhistle and the Hawks have one hell of a bottom 6.. I mean I don't think most Hawks fans realize how deep this team actually is - at pretty much every position..

Bowman is really trying to build a team here that can make a Cup run, yeah I know some may laugh at that but Bowman has done it 3 times already, so I wouldn't laugh. Bowman knows how to build a team(s) that can win Cups, yes I'm sure some of you laugh at these minor moves like trading for Smith, Nylander, Maatta, De Haan and Shaw then signing Carpenter, Lehner (probably not upset about Lehner tho) but it's those type of moves that really improve your team, Bowman saw exactly why the Hawks were a tirefire last season and he addressed ALL of those issues.. We had no problem scoring last season so THAT wasn't an issue - our top 6 is fine - the actual issue was that Bowman was stuck garbage picking UFA's last summer due to lack of cap, so he couldn't put together an adequate bottom 6 or an average defense, then when Crow went down.... Well....

This team has/have had all the important pieces to be legitimate contenders every season for the last decade, but due to the cap the problem is fitting the supporting cast - the right supporting cast (depth) - within the confines of the salary cap.. Fortunately, this season Bowman was able to go out and get the players he wanted to fill the holes in the lineup instead of the players he could afford..

Wonder what the Vegas odds are on the Hawks winning the Cup??? or at the very least going to the final or even winning the Central Division?? because I'm betting the Hawks are going to shock many people and I want to get in on the action while I can make some good money..... Because I believe this team is criminally underrated...

All Bowman is doing is literally rebuilding the 2012/2015 team by trading for and signing comparable players to the ones we lost due to the salary cap.. The similarities are pretty hard for me to overlook...
- Savard2Secord

Excellent POV here--

I was being generous.

To some, he's a center upgrade over AA. I'll have some of what they're smoking. Are you new to hockey as well? I read that one must have only watched the game since 2009 to believe AA is a better center than Smith.
- mohel

Started watching in 2016, unfortunately.

If Smith doesn't work out, the buyout is very manageable: https://www.capfriendly.c...ulator/zack-smith#results