I almost think Smith playing now is kind of a fluke. He was along for the West Coast trip to serve the last of his suspension and they figured while he is there, might as well give him a look. The results have been better than expected. Smith did not perform well in the preseason, damn near getting killed a few times, when being to slow to react to game. He seems to have picked it up a bit, and is driving a stake into Commodore’s career in the process. Which doesn’t make me sad. 

The preseason for me was a huge disappointment for Smith. I saw him twice with the Griffins last year and he didnt’ really set my world on fire. He was getting over his shoulder injury at the time so that might have had something to do with it. But then the preseason rolled around and I was able to see him a few more times and he just didn’t impress. For a player who has been so hyped in our system for so long, seeing this was a big let down. 

Seeing him get some time now and seeing him start to actually live up to the somewhat grittier, offensive defenseman I keep hearing about is nice. If Commodore is sacrificed for it so be it. We have more invested in Smith and I want to see the kid live up to his potential. 

Think we’d be able to trade Commodore for anything? 

But what good is that depth in case of injury… if another player is called up and played above him when there’s an injury?

I don’t think he’ll get consistent playing time, and I agree that’s likely the problem. If a top six goes down, and they have Brendan Smith inserted into the lineup, when is he supposed to play? Frankly, I was surprised he wasn’t playing NOW, because if not then… when?

I think it’s going to be another long season for Mike Commodore.

I agree.  I think the wings need to keep Commodore for the season.  He hasn’t played that bad for a guy who’s barely played in a year.  He just needs some consistent playing time.  He’s basically a reliable and intelligent player, if a little slow.  It also gives the wings more depth, which is one of the advantages the wings have over a lot of other nhl teams.  This reallly shows up when injuries hit.  The wings are and will manage to do okay even when injuries occur. 

True… very good point about Salei fitting in immediately.  Also, Commie isn’t ever going to get more minutes at this rate.  I’ve jumped off the hate Ericsson bandwagon, but won’t disagree that he should have sat the end of last season.  His saving grace was that he played better in the playoffs than the regular season.  I still don’t get this team’s sporadic play from certain players… it’s as if they shrug everything off and do their own thing every once in a while and it’s enough to piss us all off.

I was immediately impressed with Salei last season, even though I was similarly skeptical heading into the season a year ago. Salei dropped into the lineup, played well enough to belong in the top six permanently, and shouldn’t have been removed when Kindl started playing well near the end of the season (hint: it should have been Ericsson then, too). 

It’s certainly possible (hell, it’s down right probable) that I’m jumping the gun here and I’m being overly critical of Commodore. It’s no secret I don’t like him, I don’t like him on this team, and I don’t have any idea what he’s supposed to be doing here. But I’m happy to give him a chance to prove me wrong. If he continues to play nine minutes, however, and doesn’t contribute in any positive way… I don’t see the point in keeping him.

However, if Smith isn’t going to be a top six every night guy, then someone’s gotta go. I doubt that happens, since Smith can be returned to Grand Rapids without waiving, etc. 

Maybe I should clarify… for the money, he’s played decent IMO. Salei was far better than Commie any day of the week last season, but Salei seemed to have played darn near all the time.  Commodore takes dumb penalties, yes, but it sure seems hard to judge him with so little time on the ice and only playing in 3 games.  I’m just trying to be cautious… that’s all.  Maybe I’m being overly cautious. Wth do I know… maybe we should cut ties and let him make some money being a 5th or 6th defenseman somewhere else.

Yeah Commodore sucks.  And his tweets suck too.