If you’re looking for flash and panache, Craig Smith isn’t exactly your type of guy.
While some forwards rely on 0-to-60 acceleration or physics-defying dangles to leave their mark on a shift, Smith tends to keep things simple in the offensive zone.
He won’t make many highlight reels, but Smith’s tenacious forechecking mindset and a propensity to fire off pucks from just every angle available in the offensive zone has allowed him to achieve a reputation that even some of the most talented forwards in the NHL have still not achieved — consistency.
With that lunch-pail attitude and shot-first mantra, Smith has spent most of his 12-year career serving as a safe bet when it comes to assured production in a middle-six role — with the Wisconsin product surpassing 15+ goals in seven seasons, and hitting 30+ points in all but one of his full 82-game campaigns.
Through his first two seasons in a black-and-gold sweater, Smith provided plenty of value for his $3.1 million cap hit — posting 32 points over 54 games during the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season before adding 16 goals and 36 points over 74 games last year.
And even after a very lackluster showing in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs (zero points in seven games against Carolina), Smith’s established track record when it comes to double-digit tallies made him an expected everyday contributor on Boston’s depth chart in 2022-23.
But whether it be injuries or the inevitable decay of Father Time, Smith has gone from being a middle-six stalwart to a fringe contributor for the B’s in the span of just a few months.
Through 16 games, Smith has now tallied just one goal and posted three total points — a far cry from the dependable 5v5 output he provided for years with Nashville and Boston. But beyond those baseline numbers, Smith’s overall usage rates have plummeted under Montgomery.
Entering Sunday’s matchup against the Golden Knights, Smith had averaged just 9:59 of ice time per game in 2022-23 — well below his career average of 14:45. Those limited minutes are due in large part to Smith earning his reps primarily in a fourth-line role, with other bottom-six skaters like Trent Frederic leapfrogging him and securing his tried-and-true 3RW spot.
From the Bruins’ perspective, it’s hard to knock their roster reshuffle when it comes to Frederic’s extra reps — especially given the 24-year-old bruiser’s strong play next to Charlie Coyle so far this season.
But placing an already ice-cold Smith on the checking line unit is trying to fit a square hole in a round peg. Yes, Smith’s forechecking pressure could make things miserable for opponents, but he’s not exactly the type of player who thrives in those draining D-zone shifts against opposing top-six opponents.
Add in his lack of experience on the penalty kill and his waning influence on the power play (his 0:21 seconds of average power-play TOI ranks 14th on the B’s), and Smith is essentially in on-ice purgatory in his current fourth-line role — with his own declining production further limiting his options for more ice time.
Smith’s struggles with finding traction this season stands as one of the few lineup snafus for a B’s team that has reaped the benefits of multiple other skaters exceeding expectations in their respective roles.
Had the Bruins found themselves in a spot where secondary contributors like Frederic and Nick Foligno weren’t having a sizable impact, Smith’s regression could have thrown Boston’s entire bottom-six composition into disarray.
But even if Boston’s lineup has continued to hum right along this season, it does seem as though Montgomery and the B’s still believe that Smith is due for a breakout with more reps on the horizon.
“He’s played well when he’s played,” Montgomery said of Smith. “Unfortunately he got hurt. Now he’s back. I just expect him to add to the depth that we have. We’re able to roll four lines because we have four good lines.”
Even if Montgomery’s emphasis on quality over quantity perhaps doesn’t quite mesh with Smith’s shoot-first mentality, it does seem as though Boston’s new bench boss isn’t looking to give up on Smith quite yet — not after the body of work that Smith has put together over his 12 years up in the pro game.
Given Montgomery’s recent comments, it does seem as though injuries have played a part in Smith’s downturn so far in 2022-23, with the veteran already missing two stints of action this season due to undisclosed ailments.
Perhaps a healthy Smith can eventually break through on the fourth line and add some scoring punch to that checking unit. But he’s going to need to put forth some results in the coming weeks, because whether it be A.J. Greer or Providence products like Jakub Lauko or Marc McLaughlin — there are plenty of deserving candidates who could make the most of those limited reps that Smith is already accounting for.
“I expect him to drive, skate a lot,” Montgomery said of his expectations for Smith. “Take pucks wide. Take pucks to the net. Hold on to pucks offensively. Defensively, I expect everybody to look the same. Everybody’s reloading. Everybody’s pressuring. That’s our game.”