Waived: Brendan Smith (Update: CLEARED)

InjuredChoker

Registered User
Dec 25, 2011
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LTIR or golf course
I haven't given up on Smith quite yet, he was an absolute stud in the playoffs last year and the talent is there. The hope is he's finally hit rock bottom and will come to his senses and work his tail off to get in shape and make the team out of camp in the fall

wings fan stopping by. he always stepped up in the playoffs and played the best hockey of his career/season there. we were optimistic every time that he'd taken the next step.. then he sucked at the start of the regular season. improved towards the end of the regular season.. rinse and repeat.

i think it wa more mental for him but this season he wasn't physically fine either. not sure what your cap situation is or how bad those character issues are but motivated brendan smith is a good hockey player and he should be one next season.
 

nyr2k2

Can't Beat Him
Jul 30, 2005
45,660
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wings fan stopping by. he always stepped up in the playoffs and played the best hockey of his career/season there. we were optimistic every time that he'd taken the next step.. then he sucked at the start of the regular season. improved towards the end of the regular season.. rinse and repeat.

i think it wa more mental for him but this season he wasn't physically fine either. not sure what your cap situation is or how bad those character issues are but motivated brendan smith is a good hockey player and he should be one next season.
Thanks for sharing.

I don't really know of any character issues, beyond those associated with signing a big contract then showing up in terrible shape. Otherwise I thought he was a good soldier. We don't have anything resembling cap issues at the moment so there's no problem keeping him around and letting him try to redeem himself next year.
 

Off Sides

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Sep 8, 2008
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Don't know if it is defined as a character issue but not sure about this given the situation he was in at the time

https://nypost.com/2017/11/03/rangers-benched-defenseman-ive-been-playing-pretty-well/

I'm speculating but maybe that was the start and he just never relented to thinking maybe he was not playing pretty well. At some point what does a team do when scratches and whatnot is not changing the player's opinion of their game?


All in all is was a poorly thought out trade given the bad outcomes outnumbered the good outcomes.


1) He played well and earned his next pure UFA deal and was able to play up to it.

2) He played poorly and the Rangers traded what they did (a 2nd and 3rd) for that and they let him walk.

3) He played okay and they needed to re-sign him as a UFA or let him walk giving up what they traded to get him in the first place.

4) He played well, then regressed after getting a new contract.


Since he was having some difficulty consistently playing up to his last contract I'm not sure the Rangers really calculated the risk reward within the possible outcomes correctly.

Most of that does not just go for Smith, those are the possible outcomes when renting any pending free agent player at a deadline, the same outcomes applied to E Staal, Clowe, etc.

Even if not a pending UFA, Rangers imported some pending RFAs at this deadline, carries less risk as the player can not just clean walk away as a free agent but perhaps using some caution to not to base any offers on a small sample sized honeymoon period would be prudent.
 

GordonGecko

First Ping Pong Ball
Oct 28, 2010
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Don't know if it is defined as a character issue but not sure about this given the situation he was in at the time

https://nypost.com/2017/11/03/rangers-benched-defenseman-ive-been-playing-pretty-well/

I'm speculating but maybe that was the start and he just never relented to thinking maybe he was not playing pretty well. At some point what does a team do when scratches and whatnot is not changing the player's opinion of their game?


All in all is was a poorly thought out trade given the bad outcomes outnumbered the good outcomes.


1) He played well and earned his next pure UFA deal and was able to play up to it.

2) He played poorly and the Rangers traded what they did (a 2nd and 3rd) for that and they let him walk.

3) He played okay and they needed to re-sign him as a UFA or let him walk giving up what they traded to get him in the first place.

4) He played well, then regressed after getting a new contract.


Since he was having some difficulty consistently playing up to his last contract I'm not sure the Rangers really calculated the risk reward within the possible outcomes correctly.

Most of that does not just go for Smith, those are the possible outcomes when renting any pending free agent player at a deadline, the same outcomes applied to E Staal, Clowe, etc.

Even if not a pending UFA, Rangers imported some pending RFAs at this deadline, carries less risk as the player can not just clean walk away as a free agent but perhaps using some caution to not to base any offers on a small sample sized honeymoon period would be prudent.
You're way overthinking his obituary. He's not even dead yet
 

True Blue

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Feb 27, 2002
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Why would Gorton give up on a player he just re-signed? He's certainly not going to buy Smith out, there's not too much value there in a trade and all things being equal, Smith is going to come into training ready to win his job back.
Both Smith and Balesky will be give full opportunities to win their jobs back. Unless AV is still the coach.
 
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Mikos87

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Mar 19, 2002
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Both Smith and Balesky will be give full opportunities to win their jobs back. Unless AV is still the coach.

I dont know... You have wonder about the cap casualties.

If there is a coaching g change and he comes in prime shape... He has a shot at redemption.

IMO I liked moments from him... But was never enamored by his corsi glory from a third pair role in D.

I loved the guy I saw vs Montreal. But Smitty isn't like that every night.

I'd like to see both him and Belesky make it next year to insulate the youth, and serve as an example of what happens to guys that f*** it up after they get paid.

Parade them around like walking life lessons... NHL or AHL. But if they're going to be lazy or destructive influences, ruin their f***ing career because they don't deserve to wear a jersey.

The org needs a cultural shift and an identity that rewards hard work and effort. It starts with firing the coach imo. But I'm open to second chances for guys that deserve it.
 

bubba5

Registered User
Aug 2, 2005
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Should never have sent him to Hartford...If the goal was to sell and fall to the bottom for the highest draft pick possible...this guy should be on the team and getting 25-28 minutes a game.
 

eco's bones

Registered User
Jul 21, 2005
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This is what a buyout of Smith looks like vs. keeping him in Hartford for the next three years:

2018-2019--Buy out cost $1091 Cap hit keeping him $3325 Cap savings buy out $2234
2019-2020--Buy out cost $1091 Cap hit to keep him $3275 Cap savings buy out $2184
2020-2021--Buy out cost $3266 Cap hit to keep him $3275 Cap savings buy out $9--or negligible
2021-2022--Buy out cost $1266
2022-2023--Buy out cost $1266
2023-2024--Buy out cost $1266

Basically buying Smith out would give us $2 mil cap savings each of the next two years--the third would be break even and then for three years you'd be out $1.2 mil per.

Me--if I'm not counting on him playing for the Rangers next year I'm buying him out. It would be better for him--he could look for a new team. We'll save about $4.5 mil the next two years and be stuck for an approx. $3.8 cap penalty spread over 3 years between 21-24. We'll also clear his place for another incoming player. IMO we benefit from buying him out and Smith benefits by getting a fresh start somewhere else.
 

haohmaru

boomshakalaka
Aug 26, 2009
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Fleming Island, Fl
Why would Gorton give up on a player he just re-signed? He's certainly not going to buy Smith out, there's not too much value there in a trade and all things being equal, Smith is going to come into training ready to win his job back.

And, to be honest, let's hope he does - either to make this team better on the back end or to get some value back to him and his deal so there's a possibility of trading him.

Him not being able to escape Hartford, for whatever reason, is a worst case scenario for the NYR.
 
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NYR

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Mar 1, 2002
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Quite a few actual relevant players are no longer on this team but Smith still deserves yet another chance?

I really hope JG recognizes it's time to take out the garbage..
 

haohmaru

boomshakalaka
Aug 26, 2009
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Fleming Island, Fl
Yeah, let's hope he's washed up and his cap hit is on the books for another 3 years. That's the approach we should take. The garbage is hoping that that's the case.
 

NYR

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Mar 1, 2002
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Yeah, let's hope he's washed up and his cap hit is on the books for another 3 years. That's the approach we should take. The garbage is hoping that that's the case.

This guys a cancer in his first real contact year.
Enough said..
 

Brooklyn Ranger

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
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Quite a few actual relevant players are no longer on this team but Smith still deserves yet another chance?

I really hope JG recognizes it's time to take out the garbage..

And send him where? Who will take him, given the way his season "progressed" this year?

Smith is signed for another 3 years. If he's still on the roster come September (and I think he will be--see my earlier post), he has the opportunity to show everyone that this (soon to be past) season was an aberration and he is capable of playing the way that got him signed to that free agent contract in the first place. If not, don't think there will be a cap crunch and he can spend another year in Hartford.

Either way, the organization is going to be looking for some veteran help for the blueline. There's no way around it, it's not smart to throw inexperienced players into a situation where they will be overmatched for a good part of the season. As well as a player like Pionk has played, it would not be a good idea to expect him to come in and play 22-25 minutes a night next season.There are not going to be three rookies and DeAngelo on defense coming out of training camp.
 

Machinehead

GoAwayKakko
Jan 21, 2011
141,276
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HFNYR: "I wanna lose every game for the pick"

Also HFNYR: "I have no interest in attempting to get value out of a player I think is bad because then we have to play him"
 

haohmaru

boomshakalaka
Aug 26, 2009
16,513
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Fleming Island, Fl
It's not in anyone's best interest to hope that any Rangers prospect/player/Vet plays himself off the team and gets waived/bought out/traded for another crap contract. Period. Hope Smith gets his shit together - it'll make everyone happier.
 
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GordonGecko

First Ping Pong Ball
Oct 28, 2010
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It's not in anyone's best interest to hope that any Rangers prospect/player/Vet plays himself off the team and gets waived/bought out/traded for another crap contract. Period. Hope Smith gets his **** together - it'll make everyone happier.
Well that's why he's in Hartford in the first place, so he gets his **** together and motivates his way back into a top NHL D man
 

NYR

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Mar 1, 2002
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And send him where? Who will take him, given the way his season "progressed" this year?

Smith is signed for another 3 years. If he's still on the roster come September (and I think he will be--see my earlier post), he has the opportunity to show everyone that this (soon to be past) season was an aberration and he is capable of playing the way that got him signed to that free agent contract in the first place. If not, don't think there will be a cap crunch and he can spend another year in Hartford.

Either way, the organization is going to be looking for some veteran help for the blueline. There's no way around it, it's not smart to throw inexperienced players into a situation where they will be overmatched for a good part of the season. As well as a player like Pionk has played, it would not be a good idea to expect him to come in and play 22-25 minutes a night next season.There are not going to be three rookies and DeAngelo on defense coming out of training camp.

I have news for you.
If you have followed his career, this is no aberration.
Buy him out and chalk it up as a loss because he shouldn't be any where near this team and especially the younger players that are actually looking to progress.
#DamagedGoods
 

haohmaru

boomshakalaka
Aug 26, 2009
16,513
10,717
Fleming Island, Fl
I have news for you.
If you have followed his career, this is no aberration.
Buy him out and chalk it up as a loss because he shouldn't be any where near this team and especially the younger players that are actually looking to progress.
#DamagedGoods

I have news for you - I heard the same bullshit about Phil Kessel and how's he doing?

Chalk that up to a loss, too?
 

NYR

Registered User
Mar 1, 2002
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I have news for you - I heard the same bull**** about Phil Kessel and how's he doing?

Chalk that up to a loss, too?

Completely different situation entirely.

Bro..Trust me on this one.
There is no argument if you ever followed BS career.

Isn't ironic that even his initials are short for bullshit ;)
 

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