NHL Trade Rumors: Rangers to acquire Brendan Smith from Red Wings

The New York Rangers have reportedly traded for Detroit Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith. 

After the Washington Capitals traded for Kevin Shattenkirk, the New York Rangers lost their top trade deadline target. He was perhaps the lone reasonable acquisition who could have turned them into a Stanley Cup contender. However, with Dan Girardi out for two weeks and Kevin Klein battling injuries, the Rangers still found themselves needing some defensive depth. According to Bob McKenzie, they have traded for Detroit Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith. He’s a free agent after this season, so he’s likely strictly a rental.

While Smith has just five points in 33 games, he should be a solid fit in New York. He’s an upgrade on their third pairing and he’s capable of handling second pairing minutes competently. Smith is a net positive as far as possession, with a 3.4 percent even strength CorsiFor percentage relative. The Rangers pay a rather steep price, but that’s typical of the weak rental market. This market favors sellers, so a second rounder and a lesser pick is par for the course.

Detroit makes out well in this deal if they get a second round pick for Smith. They attempted to re-sign him but couldn’t work something out. That said, the Red Wings could pull off a heist by signing him once he becomes a free agent. Smith could be a nice guy for teams to buy low on as a free agent. While his offensive production has never been outstanding, he’s very steady defensively and can tilt the ice in his team’s favor.

Must Read: 1 player each NHL team should trade

New York gets a quality defenseman, something they needed. This isn’t a huge splash acquisition like Shattenkirk, but Smith definitely gives the Rangers some value. However, a second round pick is a lot to include for someone of his caliber.