Photo credit: Sportsnet
The Blackhawks should be done for the season, as they added eight new faces during free-agency. One of those eight new faces was forward Craig Smith.
Smith, was signed after the Blackhawks let multiple former Blackhawks find new opportunity. This gave Kyle Davidson the means to bring in more depth, and refresh the lineup.
Davidson and the Blackhawks signed Smith to a one-year, $1 Million dollar contract for the 2024-2025 season.
Smith has played for four different teams during his 13 season NHL career, including the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, and Boston Bruins.
How can Smith be useful to the Blackhawks?
Smith got his start playing hockey at age 16, in Madison, WI and would play for the Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA. The 34-year old will be closer to home in Chicago, which is a benefit.
Smith knows the value of hard-work, as during the summer as a teen he worked in Construction for some extra cash and would train afterwards, with Kevin Ulanski.
At that time, I wasn’t in junior hockey yet, but I was on my way. Being around those guys and seeing how they worked – it was a great experience. We would go to work and then train after. It was a cool summer.
Smith would later be drafted by the Nashville Predator 98th overall in 2009 after spending two years with the USHL’s Waterloo Blackhawks. He would state he chose the Badgers for the excellent education and the hockey program, and it was his dream to play in the NHL.
Rookie Season: Nashville
At 22, he would start his career with the Nashville Predators in the NHL, scoring his first goal on the Columbus Blue Jackets goalie, Steve Mason. During his rookie season, he’d score 36 points(14 G, 22 A) in 72 games. (Smith was) the definition of consistency. He had three consecutive 20-goal seasons and hit that total five times with the organization. He was known for his quick hands, shot, grittiness, and speed, which showed on the stat sheet.
Smith’s nine-season run with the Predators brought goal-scoring, consistency, and grit. Breaking the 20-goal mark five times and 50 points twice shows the depth he added to the organization. While he was never a superstar, let alone an All-Star, he was a staple in the team’s middle-six and left it all out on the ice every game.
His time with the Predators would come to an end, after finishing his 3rd contract( $4.25 Million AAV) and sign with the Boston Bruins in 2020-2021 signing a contract worth $3.1 Million AAV.
Quick Trip To Boston
Smith in Boston found a home on the 2nd line quickly, with Taylor Hall and David Krejci. Hall spoke highly of Smith’s motor and skills: I think he tilts the ice with his wall play in his end and his speed through the neutral zone. The ability to create turnovers in the offensive zone right away was something that caught my eye when we started playing together. That’s one of my favorite things to do is create offense off the turnovers. (He’s) probably one of the most well-liked guys I’ve played with as a teammate. I’m just really happy for him tonight.
Could Hall and Smith find that chemistry again? In Dallas, he was primarily used as a checking, not scoring winger. As we’ve seen with Jason Dickinson this role could change.
Washington and Dallas
He’d make a quick 22-game stop in Washington, being traded for Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway, Smith was attached with three draft picks to Washington. He’d score 6 points and then the team would let him walk in free agency, to be picked up by Dallas. Smith often won his minutes on a very good fourth line with the Stars.
He wasn’t much danger offensively like in his prime, but he was great defensively and had a lot of puck possession. I’m not positive how much credit Smith can get individually (especially since Chicago is on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to winning shifts). But I’d still say he’s definitely one of the better fourth-liners in the league.
Smith was one of the best fourth-liners in the league, scoring 20 points( 11 G, 9 A) at a 10:13 TOI, and a 55.6 CF% which I’m sure gets Davidson and the front-office nerds, excited.
Smith’s Experience
Smith brings 13 years of experience to the Blackhawks, along with 10 playoff runs in that time frame. The connection with Taylor Hall will be helpful, should the Blackhawks need to change up lines in case of injury, Luke Richardson could tap into the chemistry there. Source: Yardbarker