2021 Report Card: Brendan Smith

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty ImagesOh, Brendan Smith. The sometimes-winger, should-have-always-been-a-defenseman that is now a member of the Carolina Hurricanes — along with about a dozen other former Rangers. I know it’s been a minute, but let’s look back at Smith’s final season in New York.

Expectations

What were we expecting out of Brendan Smith in the final year of his contract? Well, it’s safe to say that things couldn’t go much worse than they did in the penultimate year of his deal. In 2019-20, Smith played wing on the fourth line, was frequently a healthy scratch, and seemed like he must have done something to offend David Quinn’s family.

Heading into 2020-21, it was hard to see where…