I've Still Got A Little Room On The Reilly Smith Bandwagon, If Anyone Is Looking To Jump On

It’s Christmas so I’m going to make this brief, but I’ve tweeted about Smith enough times that it’s staring to get creepy so I think it’s time to take our relationship to the next level and blog about him. I LOVE Reilly Smith’s game. Feel like every time I look up at the TV he’s making a play. No, he doesn’t have breakaway speed or hands that are going to break ankles, but he just has it. He understands the game and can read it perfectly. He’s always exactly where he needs to be. What’d Gretzky say? A good hockey player plays where the puck is, a great one plays where it will be? Well I’m not ready to label Smith great, but his vision and ability to find space certainly lead one to believe that he has the hockey IQ to play on that second level.

And, while I admittedly haven’t listened to Felger and Mazz in a bit so I’m not sure if he’s still on about this, someone tell Felger that the Seguin trade wasn’t straight up for Eriksson. I remember even after Eriksson came back from his first concussion you had Felger asking what he does for your team. Well, there are plenty of other players who came over with him, like Smith (and Matt Fraser, who also scored last night. His first as a Bruin). Thus far, Smith has been a humungous piece of that trade. Smith and Eriksson’s combined numbers (17 G, 25 A, 42 Pts) have more than replaced Seguin’s production last year (16, 16, 32) and are keeping pace with him this year (19, 18, 37), even as he’s tops in the league.

So, while the facts that I think Seguin is going to be a great player and the Bruins gave up on him too early still make it hard for me to like that trade, Smith makes it easier. Because thus far this season, it’s impossible to deny that the kid has a certain way about his game that makes you think he could be a very, very good player for this team for years to come.

PS – Full disclosure: I also thought Blake Wheeler was the next big thing. But, I was 20 then. I’m far more wise now.

Double PS – Great fight from McQuaid last night, jumped right back into the fold. Only person more surprised than me that he kept his feet after taking that right was Eric Nystrom.