Ottawa Senators: Zack Smith 2017-2018 Season Preview

It may just be August but the 2017-2018 NHL season will be on our hands before we know it. Training Camp will start in September and all the players will be brought together as they prepare for another season. With August as a down month in the NHL I thought this would be a great time to preview each of the players on the Ottawa Senators for next season.

If you missed it here’s our last preview!

Ottawa Senators: Jean-Gabriel Pageau 2017-2018 Season Preview

Zack Smith has slowly and subtly become one of the longest tenured active players for the Ottawa Senators. After being drafted by the Sens in the third round in 2008 he made his NHL debut that season in an emergency call-up. He first became a regular with the Sens for the 2010-2011 season. Since then he has been a constant presence for the Sens.

For much of his career Smith was a grinder, someone who could kill penalties but wasn’t really much of a threat offensively. However, in the 2015-2016 season he saw a spike in his offensive production. He scored 25 goals and 36 points in 81 games. His shooting percentage was high that season and it seemed obvious that his scoring would drop off for this past season. However, despite not scoring as many goals he maintained his overall point scoring pace. He put up 32 points in 74 games last season.

Although Smith has been a member of the Sens for a long time he is still a bit of a late bloomer. He was always a reliable player but never a scoring threat. Now Smith is growing into a player that could potentially put up 20 goals and 40 points. That’s the type of secondary scoring the Sens need from their role players to help improve their offence.

Next: Ottawa Senators Greatest Players: #14 Zdeno Chara

Going into next season Zack Smith could be set for an improved year. At just the age of 29 he’s at an age where he could still improve offensively. Recent years have shown that he has goal scoring potential. If the Ottawa Senators are to improve their scoring woes this season Smith is someone who is going to have to step up.