New York Rangers Acquire Brendan Smith, Fix Nothing

The New York Rangers struck their first Deadline Deal today, acquiring Brendan Smith from the Detroit Red Wings. Let’s take a closer look at the deal.

Brendan Smith is now a New York Ranger. The Rangers acquired the Detroit Red Wings defenseman for a second round pick and a third round pick today, following the news that Dan Girardi is out for at least two weeks. The Rangers have been involved in rumors swirling around Smith for weeks now, so the move was likely not a reaction move to Girardi, or the Capitals acquiring Kevin Shattenkirk.

Following the Capitals acquiring Shattenkirk, however, it would have been simple for the Rangers to throw in the towel. Instead, they brought in a(nother) left handed defenseman to aid their playoff run.

Related Story: Looking Into Brendan Smith

Who Is Brendan Smith?

Brendan Smith is a solid defenseman that played for Wisconsin with Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan. He’s played his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings thus far, topping out at 19 points in the 2013-14 season.

While Smith is not known for offensive production, he is a fantastic possession player. Smith’s career low Corsi For Percentage at even strength is 50%, with every other season checking in at 53% or above. Smith is a fine puck mover, asked to play a more defensive game by the Red Wings.

Smith’s finest quality is his ability to suppress shots. That will go a long way on the Rangers defense that struggles to help out Henrik Lundqvist.

Is Brendan Smith Worth The Price?

This is where things get complicated. As you see in the title, the belief here is that the Rangers fixed nothing. Smith is a fantastic addition to the blue-line, but he won’t fix the defense. The Rangers still have Nick Holden, Marc Staal, and one of Kevin Klein/Dan Girardi playing important roles assuming Alain Vigneault does not learn that Adam Clendening is actually good.

Smith won’t make the Rangers a Stanley Cup contender on his own, though he will further the cause. Still, since day one the belief here has been that the Rangers are not going to win the Cup this year. The Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins are far too good to compete with.

However, punting a season with Henrik Lundqvist in net (and aging) is an impossible decision to make. Trading a 2nd round pick and a third round pick is a high price, but if Smith is retained in the off-season, it’s all worth it. Reports have the Rangers interested in an extension:

Should Smith leave as an unrestricted free agent this off-season, the deal makes no sense. Smith alone does not push the Rangers far enough ahead to make the assets worth sacrificing.

Finally, if the Rangers can move Kevin Klein (though injured) or Nick Holden for a draft pick, suddenly this move makes a lot of sense. It breaks it down to Brendan Smith for a second OR a third round pick, which is a steal.

Next: Rangers Fail to Acquire Kevin Shattenkirk--For Now

The key is what the Rangers do next, not the deal the Rangers have already made. Contention is possible, this deal being excellent is possible. Brendan Smith isn’t a fix on his own. More has to come.