New York Rangers: Ranking the success of the past five trade deadlines

In a season and a half since joining the Rangers, Brendan Smith has been a real Jekyll and Hyde.

Going off of Smith’s time with the Rangers last season following the trade deadline, this deal was a steal. New York acquired the five-year veteran out of the University of Wisconsin for a second and third-round pick. This move paid immediate dividends as Smith was a shot suppressing darling during last year’s playoffs.

However, this season, Smith was so bad he got sent down to the AHL to figure things out. The biggest difference between his performance this year and last year is his level of confidence with the puck. Last season with Brady Skjei as his defensive partner, he was strong in the corners and played with an edge. This year, he panicked almost every single time the puck was on his stick.

The Rangers re-signed Smith last summer which was a gamble. At the time, it made a lot of sense. The brief sample the team got out of the former Badger was exactly what the team needed out of a second pair defenseman.

This deal did pay off in the short term which is why I rank it above the Staal trade. However, if the veteran defenseman never figures it out and needs to be buried in the AHL like a modern Wade Redden this trade will be worse than Staal.