The Stars added another piece to their back end with the signing of Brendan Smith..
The Dallas Stars added to their defensive depth Monday, signing left-handed defenseman Brendan Smith to a one-year, $1 million contract.
Smith has spent the last two seasons with the New Jersey Devils, while also making stops with the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings. Smith is the brother of Dallas draft pick Reilly Smith, who was traded all the way back in 2013 to the Boston Bruins for Tyler Seguin.
Smith is a 35 year-old veteran and was the 27th overall pick in 2007. In recent years, Smith has been a third-pairing defenseman who can help with penalty killing. He brings grit and tenacity to the blue line, while also functioning as a potential seventh defenseman. Smith has the ability to drop the gloves and lay big hits, something the Stars have noticeably lacked in recent years.
Last season, Smith had a bit of an uptick in offensive production, tallying five goals and a total of 15 points in 63 games. In the previous season, he only had five points in a total of 60 games played.
With the departure of Ryan Suter and Jani Hakanpaa, the Stars needed to fill a spot on the left side, as well as the penalty kill. Adding the young and promising Lian Bichsel, and with the reported additions of Matt Dumba and Ilya Lybushkin, Smith rounds out the defensive group for the upcoming season for the Dallas Stars.
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