The Pittsburgh Penguins knew what they were getting with Ty Smith.
The theme of the summer of 2022 for the Pittsburgh Penguins was adding size to the blue line. There was one move, however, that didn't fit that mold, trading for Ty Smith.
Smith came to Pittsburgh from the New Jersey Devils, along with a third-round pick in exchange for fellow defenseman John Marino. The immediate scouting report on the 22-year-old defenseman was that he brings tremendous skating ability and offensive upside but needed to round out his defensive game.
As the Penguins restructured their defense, Smith joined a team with more names than spots available on the roster and was sent down to the AHL to begin the season. After a slew of injuries to the Penguins blue line, Smith was recalled and made his Penguins debut against a Devils team that drafted him 17th overall in 2018.
Four games into his Penguins career, you can already see why general manager Ron Hextall went after him. His speed and ability to carry the puck immediately stood out, and his passing touch is already one of the most impressive on the team.
It hasn't been all good news, as Smith has struggled in some areas through four games, but it is evident he is who we expected him to be at this level. How has he further changed the Penguins defense corps, and how can he improve moving forward?
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