Player Profile: Brendan Smith
Player Profile: Brendan Smith
Smith was an effective depth defenseman averaging 16:06 in time on ice and produced 15 points during the 2023-2024 for the New Jersey Devils
Name: Brendan Smith
Number: 2
Age: 35
Birthplace: Mimico, Ontario
Height/Weight: 6-2, 200
2023-24 stats: 5 goals, 10 assists in 63 games with New Jersey
Contract: On one-year deal with a salary cap hit of $1 million
Performance evaluation: In his second season with the Devils (and 14th overall in the NHL), Brendan Smith was an effective depth defenseman. He averaged 16:06 in time on ice and produced 15 points, so he still can help move the puck and create offense. He played almost no time on the power play, so he produced his points at even strength. All that said, Smith is a solid defensive defenseman now, as he was second on the team in shorthanded time on ice at 2:48, fourth in hits at 117 and fifth in blocked shots at 101.
Expectations for 2024-25: Smith was drafted by the Red Wings and spent eight years in the Detroit organization, so Stars GM Jim Nill knows him well. If you are drawing up the depth chart, Smith is probably your seventh defenseman. If that’s the case, he’s a great option. If he performs well, he might bump someone else’s minutes. As you make a guess about the defensive alignment, there is a chance Thomas Harley plays beside Miro Heiskanen on the top pair, Esa Lindell beside Matt Dumba, and that would mean Ilya Lyubushkin would be on the third pair. Because Lyubushkin is a righty, he might actually fit better with the left-handed Smith than the right-handed Nils Lundkvist. A lot of focus will come on the pairings during the preseason, especially if Harley isn’t signed yet. Mix in the fact, that the team is changing out three defensemen (four, if you count Joel Hanley). Smith missed games with knee injuries last season, so that will be something to watch, but he really seems like a player who can help upgrade the defensive depth. Mix in the possibility of Lian Bichsel becoming a regular, and the depth could be better than ever.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @MikeHeika.
