Smith is here to stay. Nothing about his play has made him expendable. At the moment he is a valuable piece in trying to win a cup. Lysell is a future piece that I don't foresee them rushing into a spot that is already filled by a talented enough winger.

I agree with the sentiment that Smith is a more than serviceable third line winger, and is a benefit to have on the ice. That’s true. But the Bruins have logjammed their pipeline at practically every position in the name of attempting to compete for a postseason bid. The result has been stunting the growth of various prospects, who probably are ready for full roles in the NHL but can’t beat out the veterans. Lysell can NOT be ruined in such a manner. If he shows that he’s ready for NHL ice time this camp, then we have to play him. Smith, to me, is the odd man out

This is all very true. It has been tough to bring a guy like Stud, or Steen up from the p-bruins and expect them to play the fourth line style when they have been practicing for a more skilled role for so long. I would agree it would be nice to see Lysell (or even Beecher) make the roster full time this season, but with the way this season is shaping up to go along, having the best opportunity to win the cup and have one final run IMO is with a guy like Smith sticking around with the team, (maybe could be seen as kind of "our own rental" kinda thing, where you know it's gonna be his last season with the team regardless) which is probably the way the Bruins actually end up playing it out (because they do dumb things). I too hope to see wags full time again. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

I can certainly see the appeal of keeping Smith. And yes, Wagner should play up in the NHL more this year. He’s the ideal player to replace Lazar on the fourth line. No need to make a kid play limited minutes when they can play a skilled role in the AHL. A rookie should make the roster this year still. Montgomery has done historically well with young forwards, it’d be nice if he could continue that trend with us. Even if it’s one of the older prospects like Studnicka, Steen, or McLaughlin