When Brendan Smith was acquired from Detroit on February 28th for a second and third round draft pick, some were skeptical as to if his usage would be worth the price. New York Rangers’ head coach Alain Vigneault has had a history of misusing deadline acquisitions before due to his comfort elsewhere in the lineup (see: Keith Yandle and Eric Staal). Even then, Smith had been buried on the third defensive pairing at times behind the trainwreck that has been Marc Staal and Nick Holden.
However, despite bouncing between the second and third pairings, Smith has shown he is more than capable of standing his ground in his own zone.