Posts About "Ben Smith"
Babcock Needs to Juggle Leafs Lines
November 11th, 2016 The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a few really bad games so far this season. There was the series of games where the Leafs lost a four-goal lead and ended up losing; most notably in the game against the Winnipeg Jets. Then there was the embarrassing 7-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Leafs have played well at times, but those...
Leafs' Puzzling Day of Waivers
October 25th, 2016 The Toronto Maple Leafs always seem to make surprising decisions when it comes to waivers and this Monday was no different. The Leafs started the day by putting Milan Michalek on waivers and finished it by claiming Ben Smith off waivers. https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/790584926240399360 This was a puzzling day of waivers...
Avs Sign Ben Smith
August 16th, 2016 While they may be without a coach, the Colorado Avalanche aren't done rounding out their roster. Tuesday, they announced the signing of free agent forward Ben Smith to a one-year contract. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. Smith has bounced around a good deal over the last few seasons, spending time with the Chicago...
Sharks Stanley Cup Run Benefits Maple Leafs
May 26th, 2016 On Wednesday night, it was all good news for the San Jose Sharks as they punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history. But with that, came good news for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I know what you’re thinking and no, I’m not crazy. Those who were paying attention back in February when the...
End of an Era: Maple Leafs Reimer Traded to San Jose
February 28th, 2016 James Reimer is no longer a Toronto Maple Leaf. It's a bit of a shock as Reimer and prospect, Jeremy Morin, were dealt to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday afternoon in exchange for Ben Smith, Alex Stalock and a conditional fourth round draft pick in 2018. Reimer was the longest tenured Maple Leaf, as he played his first games in the Blue...
James Reimer Traded to San Jose
February 27th, 2016 The Toronto Maple Leafs have shipped out goaltender James Reimer, the team announced Saturday afternoon. He'll be joining the San Jose Sharks as a part of a trade that involves four players and a pick. The full deal sees Reimer and 24-year-old forward Jeremy Morin heading to San Jose in exchange for Alex Stalock, Ben Smith and a...
Sharks Waive Ben Smith
January 20th, 2016 It's been a tough first full season in San Jose for forward Ben Smith between limited playing time, healthy scratches and injuries. Add getting waived to the list, because the San Jose Sharks placed Smith on waivers Wednesday, according to multiple sources. Smith never appeared to find a way into new coach Peter DeBoer's embrace...
A Softer San Jose Sharks Team
October 2nd, 2015 In the Pacific Division, the hits just keep on coming. The top teams are big and physical. If the Sharks had any doubt on what the style of play they can expect to face this season, they can look at their final game of the 2014-15 season. The LA Kings pummeled the Sharks 4-1. Quantitatively, the Kings outhit the Sharks 31-18....
Will the Sharks Penalty Kill Bounce Back?
September 17th, 2015 When it comes to special teams, we have seen great playoff teams get away with having a bad power play (see the 2011 Stanley Cup winning Boston Bruins), but having a bad penalty kill is nearly impossible to get away with. Winning a Cup with a bad penalty kill is much more difficult than winning with a struggling power play. As for the...
Sharks Previews & Predictions: Ben Smith Holds Steady
August 19th, 2015 Previous Previews: Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Joel Ward, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl, Chris Tierney, Matt Nieto, Tommy Wingels It is now time to look at the San Jose Sharks' fourth liners in our Previews & Predictions series, starting with center, Ben Smith. Smith was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at the...
Sharks' Projected 4th Line Far Superior To Last Year's
July 6th, 2015 Those of you who follow me on a regular basis are aware of my love affair for strong fourth lines. In this day and age, a strong fourth line is a prerequisite to getting deep in the playoffs. The ever popular narrative that teams' best players have to out-perform the opposing best players simply isn't true. In the salary cap era, elite...
Finally Finding the Sharks a Fourth Line
June 16th, 2015 The salary cap era in the NHL has brought tremendous parity to the league. Almost every team has some high-end skill. With the top-tier talent spread out, teams can't rely on just two forward lines and one great defensive pair to be successful. In recent years, the teams consistently making it deep in the playoffs have featured many...
USA Stymies Switzerland, Advances to Semifinals
May 15th, 2015 After winning Group B, the United States found themselves paired against a pesky Switzerland team in the quarterfinals of the World Hockey Championships. A hard-working Swiss team played a solid game against the United States, with the shot total favoring Todd Richards' men 24-22. First Period The United States fell behind early in the...
