Today’s the day for aging veteran Ryan Smyth to be handed his quarterly report card. After last season, many of us has written Smyth off as to old and to slow to keep up, well since the start of this year many of you have gone back on that statement and some of you still wish he would retire. I think Smyth has accepted the fact that he is no longer a top six forward and has embraced his new role on the team.
Offence – C+
Like I mentioned, Smyth is in a third line role this season and cannot be expected to score to put up a crazy amount of points. Like Boyd Gordon I suggest that a good measure of a third line forward’s production is around 30 points.
Ryan Smyth has played 19 games, missing 6 due to injury, and has put up 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points, so if you trend that in to what would amount to a full 82 game season he’s technically on pace for 32 points. The problem with these point totals to date however is the fact the 5 of Smyth’s 8 points came in the lopsided 7-0 win versus the Blue Jackets a week ago. Regardless of that one game bump in production, Smyth has been fine for a third liner this season and if his points come in bunches then so be it.
Since being put on a line with Gordon and Perron he has been more effective on the offensive side of the puck and I can see Smyth potting 15 goals this season, 15 goals from Smytty I’m sure most of you would agree that would have to garner an A+ for our end of season grades. Here’s hoping.
Defence – C
A slow start and an injury early have cast a shadow on Smyth’s play defensively. He’s -7 which is right in the middle of the pack for the Oil and has, with his third line mates, been playing tough minutes against tough competition and seems to be playing decent, not good, but decent in his own end.
Smyth, to me has been one of the most reliable forwards on the defensive side of the puck this season, and I hope it can continue. The kids (I know they aren’t kids anymore) can stand to learn a lot from Smyth when it comes to being responsible in their own end, defence wins championships and Smyth has the ability to impart some of that attitude on the younger players.
All that being said the Oilers have still allowed more goals than any team in the league and Smytty has been on the ice for 13 goals against (15% of all Oilers goals against), making for a GA On/60 of 3.90. Making Smyth the eighth worst forward on the team for that particular stat and if you take out the numbers from Ryan Hamilton and Linus Omark it looks even worse. The only way to go is up.
Team Play – B
Smyth, forever the professional, is supporting his coach and playing with in the system. He will do what it takes to make a difference in the game, even if he can’t quite do the things he used to do when he was younger. His leadership on this team even though he doesn’t wear a letter is very valuable as I mentioned above. There is something to be said about having veterans with experience on such a young team, if only there were a few more like Smyth to go around.
The biggest thing for me that gives Smyth the B in the team play category is how he has performed on the PK. Since Ryan was assigned to the penalty killing unit, he has in fact been killing it. The Oilers PK has gone from one of the worst in the league to the middle of the pack recently and is still rising. This is due in large part to the play of Smyth, who has only been on the ice for too PPG against this season.
Overall – C+
Ryan Smyth has turned his game around so to speak this season, in fact line mate David Perron said last week that Smyth is playing with a chip on his shoulder after last season’s disappointment and he wants to prove people wrong. All stats aside it’s his professionalism and willingness to help with the younger players that make Smytty so valuable to this team. This is the last year of his deal with the Oilers and if I were you, I’d enjoy watching him play every night because there is a chance this may be his last season.
His age might make him slower and some of the skill might not be there anymore, but his head and his heart are still clearly in it and this team is better with Ryan Smyth than without him.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-SJuex7kZ0]
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
