Brendan Smith’s sights are not necessarily set on hitting the open market on July 1, but the impending free-agent defenseman’s agent made it clear Monday that while the 28-year-old could eschew free agency to remain with the Rangers, it would have to be for a fair market value deal.
“Brendan has told me that he enjoyed the entire experience of playing in New York and being with the Rangers and that he certainly would consider signing a new deal and going back instead of becoming a free agent,” Anton Thun told The Post. “But at the same time, I want to make it clear that he hasn’t told me, ‘Get a deal done with the Rangers.’
“He’s looking for a good fit with a good organization, and the Rangers certainly qualify. But to pass up free agency, Brendan’s going to need a contract that reflects market value.”
Smith’s value would appear considerable in a free-agent class lacking in potential top-four defensemen who play the right side. It would seem enormous to the Rangers, to whom he added an edge and presence in 18 regular-season games and 12 playoff matches following his deadline acquisition from the Red Wings in exchange for a second-round draft pick in 2018 and a third-rounder in 2017, as they seek to remodel their defense.
There is this to ponder for general manager Jeff Gorton and the hockey department, which opened its postseason meetings in La Quinta on Monday: With Smith, a known commodity who will turn 29 in February, the Blueshirts will need to acquire one top-four righty, and without him, they will need to find two over the summer.
“There might be a couple of teams like Minnesota and Anaheim who have extra defensemen and are going to have expansion-protection issues, but there are 28 others who are looking,” Thun said. “And if you take a look, I think Brendan has a lot to offer every team that needs a D.”
It is difficult to project the Rangers’ cap space for next season until a resolution is reached regarding potential buyouts of Dan Girardi and/or Marc Staal and possible trades of core forwards. Suffice to say, however, it will likely take a deal of four or five years between $4 million and $4.5 million per to keep Smith from sniffing around the open market. The Blueshirts certainly should be able to afford that.
The 27th overall selection in the 2007 entry draft, Smith had played his entire career in Detroit before coming to New York on March. A 6-foot-2, 210-pound lefty who is comfortable on the right, Smith shifted sides and between partners before forming a union with left defenseman Brady Skjei that took for the playoffs and, ideally, could form the Blueshirts’ second tandem for years.
Smith can skate and can contribute offensively, but he also plays with a bit of chip on his shoulder that isn’t always apparent among his teammates. He is not the typical low-key personality that has become prevalent in the Rangers locker room.
“Brendan can be a little bit different,” Thun said, laughing. “He’s a bright young guy, he enjoys the heck out of playing the game, and he’s got kind of an old-school mentality that comes out every once in a while.
“He makes the odd judgment call some guys might not, like the time he was in Detroit and fought Zdeno Chara after some stuff had gone on. That’s not something everyone would do, it might even be kind of goofy, but Brendan thought it needed to be done. That kind of thing, standing up for teammates, resonates.”
It resonated in the playoffs when Smith was one of the Rangers to establish a physical tone throughout the first-round victory over Montreal. If Smith did not make quite the same impact against Ottawa, well, some of that is due to being under-utilized in the six-game Round Two defeat.
But that has not soured Smith on a return.
“It was a very positive experience. Coming from one Original Six team to another one was special for him,” Thun said. “As Brendan said, he’s more than open to coming back.
“I’m sure I’ll be speaking to Jeff in the next week or so and we’ll see if we can work something out.”