Ben Smith’s San Jose Sharks tenure started off with a bang. The Sharks acquired the forward in exchange for Andrew Desjardins at the 2014-15 trade deadline, and Smith scored a goal and added an assist in his first game in teal.
Down the stretch in a lost season, Smith was a decent player. He posted five points in 19 games, and looked to be a part of the Sharks’ bottom six in Pete DeBoer’s first season behind the Sharks bench.
Early on last season, it was clear that Smith was not really in DeBoer’s plans. He played in just four of the Sharks’ first ten games, and never played more than 8:20.