<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="pmikezus" data-cid="232524" data-time="1403146173">
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Maybe. Some players aren't suited to play more minutes. Kruger didn't produce more points when given time at second line center. Bolland didn't when put there.
But I guess in your world it's as simple as that. Keep going</p>
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Listen to what I'm saying, maybe I wasn't clear enough: It's not more minutes I'm talking about. It's where he's playing those minutes. It's not like there was this huge difference between Versteeg and Smith's minutes anyways, there's a whopping one minute of difference. Smith even averaged more shifts per game than Versteeg. He can obviously handle it. It's where they were playing and who they were playing with is where the difference is. For the majority of that time Smith was playing with Kruger, not an offensive dynamo to say the least (which is why he also didn't work out on the second line, plus he's more more important to the team as a checking/defensive forward, same thing with Bolland when he was here) and with Bollig, which there's been enough said about him.</p>
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Meanwhile Versteeg got his minutes with Shaw, Bickell, Toews, Kane, Hossa, Sharp,etc. Got ample time in the top two lines, and was practically cemented onto a spot on the second unit power play for whatever reason. If you don't think that makes a difference in production well.....I don't know what to tell you. I'm not saying Smith can play top 6, I'm saying he's easily a better option on wing than Versteeg on the third line. Hell, he may be a better option for centering the third line and moving Shaw back to RW.</p>
