A significant injury to one of the key players, Brendan Smith, for the New Jersey Devils could spell the end of…
Another wound in Jersey!
With effect from January 15, defenseman Brendan Smith of the New Jersey Devils has been placed on injured reserve due to a sprained right knee.
Smith was hurt early in the first period when he ran into Charlie McAvoy, a defenseman for the Boston Bruins, close to New Jersey’s blue line. Smith skated for a total of 2:43 before making his way through the tunnel to the locker room.
The 34-year-old has played in 34 games this season with one goal and five points. Smith recently turned into a villain in the eyes of Chicago Blackhawks supporters after he massively hit Connor Bedard. Smith signed a two-year deal with a $1.1 million cap hit to play for the Devils last season.
In the opening round of the 2007 NHL Draft, Smith was originally selected by the Detroit Red Wings with the 27th overall pick. Before being traded to the New York Rangers in 2017, he played in Detroit for the first six seasons of his NHL career.
The Devils still have a long list of injured players, which includes superstar Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, Tomas Nosek, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Ondrej Palat.
Santeri Hatakka of the American Hockey League’s Utica Comets has been called up by the Devils in the interim. In 28 games this season, the 23-year-old Finnish defender has two goals and seven assists for nine points. Hatakka was originally selected by the San Jose Sharks, and he spent the 2021–2022 season playing nine NHL games with the Sharks. Part of the package that was shipped to New Jersey in the blockbuster trade for Timo Meier included Hatakka.
The Devils will play back-to-back games against the Dallas Stars on Saturday and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.
