Fans Puzzled as Preds Extend Cole Smith
Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images
The Nashville Predators announced on Monday that they have locked up pending restricted free agent Cole Smith to a one-year $775,000 NHL contract for the 2023-2024 NHL season.
The 27-year-old rookie was signed to a two-way contract this year but has still amassed 42 games for the big league club this season. Smith has played an enforcer role for Nashville, ranking second among Preds forwards in hits and penalty minutes in just under 12 minutes per night. In 42 games this season he has scored two goals and added on nine assists for a total of 11 points on the season.
Smith is not a fan favorite by any standard, his 49 games to score his first goal is the ninth longest scoring drought to start a career among forwards. Guaranteeing a roster spot for a negative offensive player takes away roster spots for young promising forwards such as Philip Tomasino who is excelling in the AHL this season after spending 76 games with the Preds last season and posting 11 goals and 21 assists.
The front office see his value as a glue guy and good locker room presence, as well as a key penalty killer. Coach John Hynes raves about Smith’s “attention to detail” and his “hustle” and “competitiveness” but the results are simply not there. This is another in a long list of puzzling moves by the Predators front office that has put the team in a cap space dilemma.
The Preds currently have eight upcoming Restricted and Unrestricted Free Agents and only $11.9 million in cap space left to put towards those players. There is an abysmal chance that they retain all eight players that include Cody Glass, Tanner Jeannot, Alexandre Carrier, Dante Fabbro, Kevin Lankinen and more. With the trade deadline on March 3rd rapidly approaching, the Preds may be forced to move a number of players in order to afford to keep their young guys. The Preds have several players on big contracts that look hard to move due to their lack of production. One contract that can be seen as valuable is that of Nino Niederreiter who is signed for one more season at $4 million. The Preds should be very busy in the upcoming weeks to the trade deadline.
