New York Rangers‘ 9th year defenseman Brendan Smith(42) spent some late season games with affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack in 2017/2018, as they were out of the playoff hunt and some of the younger players were getting a look.
It was his first visit to the minors since early 2013.
Originally a Detroit Red Wings‘ 1st round pick in the 2007 draft (#27 overall), he spent 6 and a half years before being traded.
Although the 6’2″ 195 lbs. blue liner is more of a stay-at-home style d-man he did notch a nice 15 goals and 37 assists in his third and final year at University Of Wisconsin but has yet to achieve anything close since turning pro.
The 29-year old has 355 NHL games to his credit, has a multi-million dollar contract that runs through 2021 and is right back up at the highest level of hockey as 2018/2019 begins.