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Florida Panthers: Reilly Smiths 2016-17 Slump Year

By Daniel Janicas

Dec 13, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Florida Panthers forward Reilly Smith (18) against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Panthers 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Florida Panthers forward Reilly Smith (18) against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Panthers 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Reilly Smith had a disappointing 2016-17 season only tallying 15G, 22A, and 37 points after coming off a career high 25 goal season last year.

Expectations were high for Reilly Smith, especially after just coming off a 25 goal season last year. It was expected of Smith to continue his hot scoring form. In result, it didn’t happen. Reilly struggled throughout the majority of the season trying to find the back of the net. Luck and bounces just didn’t go Reilly’s way, as he didn’t even hit the 20 goal mark.

Last off-season saw Reilly handed a flashy new contract worth 5 years, 25 million, paid 5 million per season. Was the contract given too early to soon? The answer to that would be yes. I thought management should have handed Smith a bridge contract (2 years). With that, you’d see how Reilly would perform the following year and make an assumption on whether or not the player is a “one season wonder” or if he’s “legit”.

If you look at Reilly’s stats (via NHL.com), you’ll see the “up and down” production that is shown through every season. For instance, Reilly ended the 2013-14 NHL season with 20G, 31A, and 51P. This was the year in which Reilly broke out and made a name for himself. A year later (2014-15), Reilly only tallied 13G, 27A, and 40P, dropping in production since the following year (2013-14). After the 2014-15 season, Reilly was then traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward Jimmy Hayes.

Restart the same thing over again. Reilly’s first year with the Cats (2015-16), he tallied 25G, 25A, and 50 points, making this a career year in goals for himself. Fast forward a season later (2016-17), in which Reilly only put up 15G, 22A, and 37 points all together. See the trend going? One of Smith’s biggest problems is inconsistency.

Next: Florida Panthers: What The Future Holds For Denis Malgin

So why wasn’t Smith scoring at the rate in which he did last season? Some may say luck and some may also say that bounces just weren’t going Reilly’s way. To go on hot scoring streaks like Reilly did last season, you do need some luck and bounces along the way. It always helps to have both. But the biggest area which held Reilly back from scoring was his shot accuracy.

Reilly Smith took plenty of shots throughout the course of the season (160 shots), and even had a pretty good CF% of 52.49%. For those of you who don’t know, Corsi measures shots on goal + shots that missed the net + blocked shots. It’s simple, Reilly needs to hit the net more often. Too many times last year did we see Reilly miss wide or high, only seeing the puck hit the glass or go out of play.

For Smith’s sake, it will be crucial for him to spend the time this summer to improve his shot accuracy. This means improving his finishing and placement techniques, which a shooting coach can definitely work with him towards. Overall though, if Reilly Smith can catch lightning in a bottle again with the Cats and improve his consistency, then I wouldn’t be surprised to see him bounce back and put himself back on the 25+ goal column.

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