Zack Smith is coming back up from Binghamton to play in the bigs once again. With Jason Spezza sidelined indefinitely with a shoulder injury, coach Cory Clouston needed to fill out his roster from the farm team once again. But why Smith?

Smith is definitely not the most productive scorer with the AHL affiliate. With 7 goals and 5 assists in 22 games,Smith isn;t exactly lightingup the lamp. As a matter of fact, Corely Locke has had  much more success, being the leading scorer of the Baby Sens with more than a point a game.

As a matter of fact, I'm trying to find any statistic that would warrant bringing Smith up over a more productive centre. And I can't. So I have to rely on two things: a known element and knowledge of the team system. It will be easier for Clouston to roll Smith into the lines as he already has experience of the NHL level of play and the workings of the team. In short, he will fit right in.

This can either be veiwed as encouraging or discouraging. Encouraging in that it could mean Clouston only needs a short-term replacement, and is therefore bringing the least disruptive choice. This could mean that Spezza's injury isn't as serious as we may believe. On the downside, if Spezza is really out for the long haul - say more than four weeks - Clouston is doing the team a disservice by taking the easy way out. The team is already starving for goals, and while Spezza doesn't himself light up the lamp frequently, he is a playmaker.

I prefer to think as Spezza's "indefinite" injury as something that will be fixed within a couple of weeks, and that Smith will be asked to fill in a 4th line role quietly. Mind you, if I were in Smith's shoes, I would play like a madman to make my mark.

GO SENS GO!!