Yesterday the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they had claimed forward Gemel Smith off of waivers from the Detroit Red Wings. Smith returns to Tampa Bay after spending the previous month in the Red Wings organization, who claimed him off waivers on January 18.
The start of the season was spoiled for Smith due to an injury he suffered during the training camp. This injury had sidelined him for several months until mid-January, when he finally started to practice with the team. The Lightning placed him on waivers with intentions to assign him to the Syracuse Crunch to get some ice time, but he was claimed by the Red Wings and re-assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins.