Those questioning why the Rangers didn’t do much in the hours leading up to the NHL trade deadline Wednesday, need to look no further than the team’s practice ice, where the much-needed defenseman they acquired on Tuesday slid himself right into the first pair alongside captain Ryan McDonagh.
There was the new No. 42, Brendan Smith, the lefty comfortable with the right side, the former teammate of McDonagh’s at Wisconsin for three years, and the lone NHL addition the Blueshirts made as they now struggle with injuries while still striving for a Stanley Cup. And it’s right into the fire for Smith when he makes his Rangers debut Thursday night at Boston.
“I’m excited to be on a good team that’s in the playoff hunt,” Smith said. “I love playoff hockey, so it’s an exciting time to come to a good team like this.”
Smith, 28, is set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season, and Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton sent a second-round pick in 2018 and a third-round pick in 2017 to Detroit in exchange for his rental services. As far as any future plans, Smith warned that this was “Day 1 ¹/₂, so it’s something that I want to see how everything goes and then pursue the options.”
Smith did not get to New York in time to play in the Rangers’ 4-1 loss to the league-leading Capitals on Tuesday, but it was the second disappointing loss in a row following the Rangers’ 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Blue Jackets on Sunday. Although the Blueshirts (40-21-2) are in sound postseason position, Smith has an idea how he can contribute.
“I want to be real competitive and help the team out that way,” Smith said, referring to his hard-nosed style, which the Rangers have lacked. “Try to help out the boys in any way that they need. And for sure my skating, and strength and toughness will definitely help.”
At this point, any warm body would help.
Righty defenseman Kevin Klein was supposed to practice with the team on Wednesday, but his back ailment, which kept him out of the previous four games, sidelined him again. Another righty blue liner, Dan Girardi, remains out for another two weeks with the gash on his right ankle.
The forward group was hardly any better. Do-it-all winger Jesper Fast suffered what is presumed to be a shoulder injury on a hit from Alex Ovechkin in the third period Tuesday, and coach Alain Vigneault said he is set to miss “two-to-three weeks.” Top-six winger Chris Kreider suffered a lower-body injury Tuesday, and although he finished the game, he was held out of practice for “maintenance.”
“I’m thinking that he’ll be all right [for Thursday],” Vigneault said of Kreider.
To make matters worse, the team’s leading goal scorer, Michael Grabner, took a cross-check from teammate Adam Clendening in a regular drill and had to leave practice early with a hip injury.
“So he’s another guy that’s up in the air,” Vigneault said.
In the one bit of relatively good news, center Mika Zibanejad, who was a late scratch on Tuesday with a left hand/wrist injury, was able to fully practice Wednesday and said he feels “miles better.” But Vigneault added Zibanejad still will be a game-time decision depending on what trainer Jim Ramsay sees Thursday morning.
As long as Zibanejad and Kreider can go, the team won’t have to make a call-up from AHL Hartford — where 21-year-old Russian winger Pavel Buchnevich was set to play on Wednesday night as he tries to regain his form with some much-needed game action.
So it has been a whirlwind few days for the Rangers, and most notably for Smith. But this is all preamble to their run toward the postseason, where the newest addition hopes to be enough of a boost to keep them playing deep into the spring.
“I go and play,” Smith said. “That’s how I want to go about it, and not even think about unrestricted [free agency] or teams or money, or any of that stuff. I just want to go and try to win a Cup with these guys. That’s the biggest thing.”