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New York Rangers: Five Rangers with the most to lose this season.

By Michael Delasandro

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 07: Pavel Buchnevich #89 of the New York Rangers skates the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 7, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 07: Pavel Buchnevich #89 of the New York Rangers skates the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 7, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 07: Brendan Smith
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 07: Brendan Smith /

Brendan Smith

After coming to the Rangers in 2016-17, Brendan Smith made quite a name for himself in the 30 games he played for the team in the regular season and postseason. Smith took to playing solid minutes with the Rangers in his first 30 games, averaging about 20 minutes a game.

Becoming something of a workhorse for the back-end in New York, Smith demonstrated solid defensive play along with some excellent physicality. His game helped push a stuttering Rangers defense into the playoffs and nearly got them to a conference final for the third time in Alain Vigneault’s tenure.

However, in 2017-18 Smith came into training camp out of shape and seemingly unprepared to play at all. His play clearly suffered, playing ultimately slower and being scratched for a larger portion of the season. In Feburary, Smith was put on waivers.

As disappointing Smith and his season had become by this point, it was about to get a lot worse.

In late March, Larry Brooks reported that Smith had broken his hand in practice in a fight with teammate Vinni Lettieri. This ended the season for Smith, and left much to be desired.

If Smith does not come back ready to play, it is very possible we will not be seeing much more of the physical back-ender. Even after signing a big contract with the Rangers, he must prove he belongs on the team.

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