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New York Rangers: Five players who could shock us going into training camp

By Victoria Ranieri

MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 20: The New York Rangers celebrate an overtime victory against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on April 20, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 20: The New York Rangers celebrate an overtime victory against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on April 20, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TN – FEBRUARY 3: Brendan Smith #42 of the New York Rangers skates against the Nashville Predators during an NHL game at Bridgestone Arena on February 3, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – FEBRUARY 3: Brendan Smith #42 of the New York Rangers skates against the Nashville Predators during an NHL game at Bridgestone Arena on February 3, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Brendan Smith

There’s no other way to put it: Brendan Smith was downright awful last year.

Smith was acquired at the 2016 trade deadline to provide some aid on the Rangers’ struggling defense. In that short period of time, Smith did just that. He meshed amazingly well with Brady Skjei and quickly became the team’s best pairing. This lasted throughout the playoffs and his performance was enough to land Smith a four year extension.

Smith came into training camp completely out of shape last season. He was slow and seemed to be in his own head. It soon became apparent that Smith was too much of a defensive liability, and he was eventually sent down to the AHL to play with the Hartford Wolf Pack.

This season, Smith has the chance to turn himself around. With the Rangers missing the playoffs, he had (and still has) the entire offseason to regroup and train.

While some people may believe Smith’s amazing 2016 run was a fluke, I don’t. I think that Smith played too well for too long for his performance to have been a fluke.

New seasons are blank slates, especially when the team hires a new coach. A change in coaching staff should be a good thing for Brendan Smith.

Hopefully, a fresh start and some training time will land him a spot with Brady Skjei again. And hopefully, he will be able to recreate his performance from 2016, in addition to being a veteran presence for the younger players.

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