On July 16, 2022, the New Jersey Devils traded Ty Smith to the Pittsburgh Penguins along with a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft for John Marino.
Ex-New Jersey Devils defenseman Ty Smith, 23, was traded for the second time in his career on Thursday night.
He and Jake Guentzel were traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen Cruz Lucius, Vasily Ponomarev, and two conditional picks in the 2024 NHL Draft.
"Ty is a young, offensive-minded defenseman who will provide us with another reliable option on the blue line," Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said.
Over two seasons, Smith appeared in 114 games for New Jersey. He earned 43 points (seven goals, 36 assists). Devils fans had high hopes for the 17th overall draft pick, and some were disappointed when the organization seemingly gave up on him and moved him to the Penguins.
The Lloydminster, Alberta native's tenure in Pittsburgh did not exactly go as planned.
He appeared in only nine NHL games during the 2022-23 season, spending most of the season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League. In 39 AHL games, he tallied 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists).
He entered training camp for the 2023-24 season, fighting for a spot on Pittsburgh's blue line, but in late September, was placed on waivers and assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. To this point, Smith has spent the 2023-24 season in the AHL, appearing in 51 games and earning 32 points.
Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey reported that "Smith will be staying with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins the rest of this season. Carolina doesn't have an AHL affiliate, so it was either keep him on the NHL roster or find him a new home somewhere else in the AHL."
In July 2023, the Penguins signed Smith to a one-year deal worth $775,000. At the end of the contract, he will be a restricted free agent.
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