New York Rangers: Brendan Smith working back to form

Recently it was reported that New York Rangers’ Brendan Smith has lost some weight over the summer. What does this mean for his role in the upcoming season?

When he was first acquired at the 2017 trade deadline, fans had a lot of hope for Brendan Smith. He was young enough to stick around for a while and brought a physical presence to the defense that hadn’t been there before.

He proved his value in that year’s playoffs and signed a four-year contract worth $17.4 million over the summer. Then, everything seemed to go wrong.

But, what if it didn’t have to stay that way? We’ve said in the past that this team needs Smith to come back stronger than ever this year.

It’s true, especially after the atrocious season he just had. All of a sudden, it seems like he has switched onto the right path.

Off to a Bumpy Start in 2017-2018

It all began when Brendan Smith came into New York Rangers training camp out of shape. It didn’t seem to be a big deal when he made the team like the rest of the roster regulars.

However, it certainly was a big deal, judging by what came next. Smith was benched for six games in a row, from October 31st to November 17th.

While he hadn’t necessarily been pulling his weight, no one on the team had been doing that. The Rangers had started the season terribly, and, unfortunately, Smith was the one who was picked to take the fall.

Though he returned to the lineup, he never returned to the player he was in the prior year’s playoffs. He played regularly from November 17th and February 7th, until the Rangers punished him once again.

Ending the Season on a Bad Note

On February 8th, the New York Rangers put Brendan Smith on waivers. This decision came as a shock to many.

It seemed as if the relationship between Smith and his organization was being mended, judging by his increased playing time. More than shocking, it was disappointing, even.

After his energy-filled performances near the conclusion of the 2016-2017 season and significant contract that he signed following that, the defenseman was expected to be a huge part of the team. Instead, he fell flat.

The blue-liner cleared waivers and was sent down to the Hartford Wolf Pack, the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate. He didn’t do much in his 11-game stint there, besides tack on a few more points and add to his collection of penalty minutes.

His season ended in late March when he broke his hand in a fight with Rangers’ prospect Vinni Lettieri at a practice. All in all, the 2017-2018 left much to be desired from Brendan Smith.

Improvement and Next Season

When this past season ended, the majority of New York Rangers’ fans had no idea what to expect from Brendan Smith. Would he be traded or bought out? Would he bounce back? It’s starting to look like the latter choice might be the correct one.

It was reported that, while working with Ben Prentiss in Connecticut this summer, Smith has lost 15 pounds. On the NHL Network, Dave Maloney said that he was in “tremendous shape.”

Earlier in the month, he was also described as being “determined and confident that he can be not only that Brendan Smith again, but a better Brendan Smith” while training. This is a drastic change from how he came into training camp last year.

It also clears up any doubts that Smith’s troubles were due to him personally not caring. He seems to be on the path to getting back to where he was, and even getting better.

Last year it seemed that everything was against him, and he was painted as lazy, aging, and just not very good at hockey.

The blue-liner already seems to be using this season to reinvent himself and show the organization, as well as the fans, that he is ready to prove his worth once again and be an asset to the team.