On the cusp of the season-opening puck drop, which is to say before things broke very bad for the Rangers, Alain Vigneault was touting Brendan Smith as one of the guys the coach expected to assume a vocal leadership role in the wake of the summer departures of Bluebloods Dan Girardi and Derek Stepan.
“Smitty is vocal, intense, and in our room, that’s a good thing to have,” Vigneault said. “It’s about keeping everyone accountable. I like that aspect of him. I like that energy that he brings.
“I’ve already talked to him about that expanded role in the dressing room. Coming from Detroit, he’s had some real solid leaders there, so I expect a lot more in that area from him.”
Two games into the season, Smith was a healthy scratch following a weak opener at home against Colorado and a nightmarish performance two nights later in Toronto. A healthy scratch for two straight.
It is kind of difficult to lead from behind in street clothes, isn’t it?
“That’s a very interesting question about whether personalities change in situations like that,” the 28-year-old defenseman said before the Rangers met Vegas at the Garden on Tuesday to conclude a frightful October. “For me, I would say no. I had to battle through it, but I don’t think it affected who I am and how I went about my business.
“Personally, maybe you’re grabbing your stick a little tighter, but I don’t think you allow it to affect the next guy. Our leaders have done a good job in here in maintaining their personalities and keeping the focus where it needs to be. And that’s how we improve individually and as a team.”
Smith eschewed free agency to sign a four-year extension worth $4.35 million per after having come to the Blueshirts from the Red Wings a day in advance of the March 1 trade deadline. The left-handed defenseman, who generally has played the right for the Rangers, brought a passionate edge to the room and to the ice while combining with Brady Skjei to form the team’s most dependable tandem in the playoffs.
In keeping Smith, buying out Girardi and signing Kevin Shattenkirk while Kevin Klein retired from the NHL, the Rangers were confident they had addressed the weakness on the blue line that had ultimately undermined them.
Instead, though, the defense has been a significant part of the problem. Partners did not jell. Vigneault employed 12 different pairings through the 3-7-2 opening dozen games. Smith, who has played six games with Skjei, is partnering for the fifth straight game with Ryan McDonagh on Tuesday against the Golden Knights.
“Trucker is so good, he makes so many good plays that he’s a big help to my game,” Smith said, using a variation of the Mac-Truck nickname for the captain with whom he played for three years at the U. of Wisconsin. “I think we have good chemistry and our game together has been improving.”
Vigneault on Monday said he still “need[s] more” from McDonagh. The coach called Smith “a work in progress.” The pair is plus-two in 57:19 of five-on-five work.
“I like where my game is at right now and it’s going to continue to get better,” Smith said. “I’ve always strived for perfection, everyone in here does.”
If no one knew quite what to expect from this remodeled team, no one expected this. The Rangers have made the playoffs seven straight years and are 11 for 12 since the 2005-06 inception of the salary cap. When they missed in 2009-10, they were eliminated on the final day in losing a shootout in Philadelphia. Smith is five-for-five in qualifying for the tournament.
“I’ve never been part of a team where we struggled this much at the start. It’s different than having a tough time in the middle of the year because you don’t have your foundation,” Smith said. “But we know we’re a good team, we need to play more as a collective group and we need to have urgency in our approach.
“This is where the veterans have to step up. You want to come in here and be the same guy, day in and day out. You lead in the best way you can, and for me, that’s to be vocal. There’s no use trying to change and be someone I’m not.”