ZACK LOOKING TO IMPROVE HIS ATTACK
Veteran centre enthused about ‘fresh start’ to season after dismal campaign in 2017-18
Zack Smith spoke from the heart Friday morning.
And he wants to get back to being a heart-and-soul player for the Ottawa Senators.
“That was probably my worst year I’ve had in professional hockey,” the veteran winger told this newspaper before facing the Chicago Blackhawks in a pre-season game Friday night at Canadian Tire Centre. “I’ve figured out what I can improve on.
“I feel good at this point, I feel as healthy as I ever have and that’s an exciting part for me. I’m just looking to be a lot better than last year.”
The 30-year-old Smith is determined to bounce back after battling injuries and inconsistency in 2017-18, when he finished with only five goals and 19 points in 68 games with the Senators. While it’s true a lot of players on the Ottawa roster had difficulties last year, not many struggled more than Smith.
That’s why as the longest-serving Ottawa player left after captain Erik Karlsson’s departure to the San Jose Sharks, Smith wants to help be a leader for the club’s youth movement this year. The Senators roster will feature a number of new, young players when they open the regular season at home on Oct. 4 against the Hawks.
“You start feeling old with the young guys coming in,” said Smith. “I’m 30 years old and I think I’m the third-oldest guy on the team. My role doesn’t change, if anything, I’m more excited to take on a leadership role with some of the young guys coming in.
“I want to be a leader and I want to be a guy that these other players can look back on and say, ‘Maybe this guy helped me out a little bit.’ There’s still lots of guys like Chris Kelly, Jason Spezza and guys like that ... I will always look up to them because of how they helped me out when I first came in and how they treated me. They just helped me be a better hockey player.
“I’m a little more conscious of that now. That’s one role that I would definitely like to improve on this year.”
It’s fair to say Smith had a season he would just as soon forget. After scoring 25 goals in 2015-16 and 16 in the 2016-17 campaign, he looked like a player whose best days were behind him on many nights and it didn’t help that he struggled to stay healthy. The most glaring stat was his minus-32 rating.
Smith has always been somebody the Senators have been able to rely on because he’s willing to pay the price and usually gets the job done. If you listen to coach Guy Boucher’s assessment, Smith let everything get to hm last year and he’s arrived in camp with a fresh outlook.
“The tools that Zack has, he hasn’t lost any of them,” Boucher said. “Last year, I think he got a little bitter and emotional about not scoring at some point and when that happens you tend to get away from the reasons of why you were who you were. He knows that.
“He’s worked really hard to come in here in shape and to get ( back to being a contributor). He’s a luxury grinder. That’s what it is: A guy that brings drive, is first on (the) puck and is able to take checks and make plays and be good on the boards for us. We don’t have a lot of physicality and he’s one of those guys that has it, so we need it.
I feel as healthy as I ever have and that’s an exciting part for me. I’m just looking to be a lot better than last year.
“In terms of scoring, he’d like to score more than he did last year. He (scored) because he did a great job at and around the net. He probably last year looked more at trying to make plays on the rush and slid a little bit away from his identity. He was the first guy that mentioned it. He’s right back, in his mind, where he should be to have success now.”
Smith is one of those Senators looking forward to a clean slate.
“I was saying with the new guys it feels like a refreshing year,” Smith said. “You come in, it’s exciting, and you have new guys coming in. Everybody is asking us, especially the older guys, what we think about the rebuild and if it’s tough to go through it.
“To us, you approach the year by trying to being the best that you can, you want to improve on last year and you want to win games. We don’t go out there and think, ‘Oh, it’s a rebuild year, we’re going to play this way.’ We’re excited to be back and it’s exciting to have new faces. It’s a fresh feeling. I’m excited. It’s nice to have new faces and it feels like a new start.”