[brooks] Brendan Smith's Season is Over; Breaks Hand Fighting Vinni Lettieri in Practice

3. Brendan Smith’s miserable season has ended in almost predictably miserable fashion, The Post has learned.

 

The defenseman, who was assigned to the Wolf Pack after clearing waivers Feb. 9 in the midst of the first season of his four-year, $17.4 million deal, suffered a broken hand in a fight at practice this past Sunday with Vinni Lettieri.

 

According to capfriendly.com, a buyout of Smith would come at the cost of $1,091,667 in dead-cap space each of the next two seasons, $3,266,667 in 2020-21 and $1,266,667 for each of the three seasons following that. If he is unable to make the Rangers and winds up in Hartford again, his cap charge would amount to $3.325 million next season and $3.275 million the two years after that.

 

Kind of a pick-your-poison scenario.

 

https://nypost.com/2018/03/21/this-skinny-chris-kreider-is-even-more-indispensable-to-rangers/?utm_source=twitter_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons

 

--

 

More solid work from Smith breaking his hand fighting Lettieri in practice on Sunday.

“Shots on goal” misinterpretation by both, I assume.

thanks for posting this the right way.

Just another sign of his lack of maturity. What a dumb fuck.

Fuck this guy.

Are you fucking kidding me?

Neither party has to be happy with the other right now.

 

 

Wonder if they both agree to put him on $125 waivers...

Neither party has to be happy with the other right now.

 

 

Wonder if they both agree to put him on $125 waivers...

 

Neither the PA nor the NHL would allow that (it violates the spirit of the CBA in every way). The only manner in which it might is if Smith had every intention of going overseas.

Neither the PA nor the NHL would allow that (it violates the spirit of the CBA in every way). The only manner in which it might is if Smith had every intention of going overseas.

 

Nah.

 

The Rangers signed him in good faith. He showed up out of shape and his behavior in Hartford is detrimental to the org. If you're the Rangers, you want him out.

 

If you're Smith and you're getting scratched in Hartford every night (the Rangers can do this), you probably want out, too.

 

It's not cap circumvention the same as it wasn't cap circumvention when Vegas was trying to get rid of Ship.

 

It's not working out for the team or for the player, if the mutually agree to part ways, it's well within the rules of the CBA.

Shipachyov also went back overseas. Not to another NHL club. I agree that it's not working out for either party. I just don't agree that the NHL and the PA are just going to allow them to call it off. It sets a terrible precedent in which teams will attempt to leverage the situation to "get out of bad deals" in the future by simply terminating the agreements. The PA fought tooth and nail for guaranteed contracts. They'll give them up when you pry it from their cold dead hands, or by collectively bargaining it out of the next CBA... in exchange for something else.

 

I'll take a look at the CBA tomorrow to see if I can find any language that might formally disallow the practice, but as I understand Unconditional Waivers, they're not designed to simply terminate "bad agreements". They're precursors to buyouts, or to allow a player to escape to Europe.

Lettieri can fight?

I didn't know he was getting scratched in Hartford. None of us saw the fight, so I'm hesitant to blame him, as opposed to Vinnie. In any event, at this point, he looks like he wants to make a Dan Boyle style exit. Before this, I thought they might be able to retain half of his salary and trade him. Someone might take a chance on him at $2m. Not now. Redden took it like a man and became the captain at Hartford. It looks like that's not going to be the case here, so they will have to buy him out rather than have his malign presence impact Hartford next year.

Fighting in practice :palm:

That sort of thing was frowned upon even when I played back in the 90's. Sure, you'd see a bit of pushing and showing and guys getting their handbags out at times. But dropping the gloves and throwing a haymaker at a teammate with enough force to break your hand?* Not the done thing. Of course it happens, but it doesn't reflect well at all. The only exception to that was the ogres that had enforcer roles and weren't making the team. They would occasionally throw down. But to be fair back in those days that was no different to a playmaker on the fringes of the team trying to catch the coaches eyes with a no look pass.

 

He is a complete helmet, regardless of who "started it". Only one of them turned up to training camp in disgraceful shape. Only one of them was sent down to Hartford to prove he's got the right attitude.

 

*I'm assuming this is what happened as opposed to him being the unluckiest man on the planet and breaking his hand with the gloves on.

Shipachyov also went back overseas. Not to another NHL club. I agree that it's not working out for either party. I just don't agree that the NHL and the PA are just going to allow them to call it off. It sets a terrible precedent in which teams will attempt to leverage the situation to "get out of bad deals" in the future by simply terminating the agreements. The PA fought tooth and nail for guaranteed contracts. They'll give them up when you pry it from their cold dead hands, or by collectively bargaining it out of the next CBA... in exchange for something else.

 

I'll take a look at the CBA tomorrow to see if I can find any language that might formally disallow the practice, but as I understand Unconditional Waivers, they're not designed to simply terminate "bad agreements". They're precursors to buyouts, or to allow a player to escape to Europe.

Both parties have to agree. It's not the Rangers getting out of a bad deal. It's 2 parties agreeing that this isn't working. I doubt the rangers care if he stays in the NHL or goes to Europe. He's a pylon.

I’d love to hear more about how this started.

This whole Smith affair, from the getgo has really blown me away. I'd be the first to admit I was thrilled that we had signed him after his amazing PO showing. I thought he was the ONE defenseman on the team that would show the others how to me more physical if not anything else. Coming into camp out of shape? Not the 1st, nor the last. Because of weddings? Sad sack sorry excuse.......weddings don't last months. Does he NOT like hockey anymore? Seems he is enjoying the money he got......obviously too much. I'm sorry, I didn't see this coming.

I have no real reasoning in support of Smith, other than he would be a solid defender if he would simply get his shit together. The Rangers needed him and he let everyone down, this far.

I guess many things balance themselves out. On one hand, we totally lucked out in aquiring McD and his services rendered for many years AND landing us those prospects/players.

We took major hits on Sauer, Klein and now Smith in ways we didn't see coming.

I?d love to hear more about how this started.

"Pylon"...

Vinny seems like a bit of a douchebag so I'd reserve judgement.

Vinny seems like a bit of a douchebag so I'd reserve judgement.

 

Yeah, he definitely got a punchable face

I didn't know he was getting scratched in Hartford. None of us saw the fight, so I'm hesitant to blame him, as opposed to Vinnie. In any event, at this point, he looks like he wants to make a Dan Boyle style exit. Before this, I thought they might be able to retain half of his salary and trade him. Someone might take a chance on him at $2m. Not now. Redden took it like a man and became the captain at Hartford. It looks like that's not going to be the case here, so they will have to buy him out rather than have his malign presence impact Hartford next year.

 

Redden’s career was over though, even he knew it. He was also a few years older than Smith and played in the league a lot longer. He broke in a bit younger, I think.

Fighting in practice :palm:

That sort of thing was frowned upon even when I played back in the 90's. Sure, you'd see a bit of pushing and showing and guys getting their handbags out at times. But dropping the gloves and throwing a haymaker at a teammate with enough force to break your hand?* Not the done thing. Of course it happens, but it doesn't reflect well at all. The only exception to that was the ogres that had enforcer roles and weren't making the team. They would occasionally throw down. But to be fair back in those days that was no different to a playmaker on the fringes of the team trying to catch the coaches eyes with a no look pass.

 

He is a complete helmet, regardless of who "started it". Only one of them turned up to training camp in disgraceful shape. Only one of them was sent down to Hartford to prove he's got the right attitude.

 

*I'm assuming this is what happened as opposed to him being the unluckiest man on the planet and breaking his hand with the gloves on.

 

It happens more often than you think, at every level. We don’t know exactly what happened, and it’s not fair to either guy to pass judgement unless it becomes a little clearer. Reading the paragraph in the manner in was written clearly makes it appear that it was Smith’s fault, but as usual Brooks doesn’t know either. Of course his paragraph fits his narrative, wouldn’t expect anything less from him and other media hacks with the mindset of “If I don’t like you, I will write dumb shit about you”.

It happens more often than you think, at every level. We don?t know exactly what happened, and it?s not fair to either guy to pass judgement unless it becomes a little clearer. Reading the paragraph in the manner in was written clearly makes it appear that it was Smith?s fault, but as usual Brooks doesn?t know either. Of course his paragraph fits his narrative, wouldn?t expect anything less from him and other media hacks with the mindset of ?If I don?t like you, I will write dumb shit about you?.

If you're fighting a minor leaguer who you have 4" and 20 pounds on...in practice...you're an asshole. If you break your hand doing it, it's shit frosting on your asshole.

 

Smith is pretty worthless in today's NHL.

If you're fighting a minor leaguer who you have 4" and 20 pounds on...in practice...you're an asshole. If you break your hand doing it, it's shit frosting on your asshole.

 

Smith is pretty worthless in today's NHL.

 

His level of play or worth is irrelevant. A lot of people have 3-4” on you, you never deserved a punch in the face? I’m not defending his play, his attitude, or any of that. I’m just saying that Vinny could have plugged Smith’s new wife, 2 handed him from behind, slew foot, whatever .... Yeah, Smith definitely could be the asshole here too, but personally I’d like to know more before I mother fuck the guy for THIS situation.

His level of play or worth is irrelevant. A lot of people have 3-4? on you, you never deserved a punch in the face? I?m not defending his play, his attitude, or any of that. I?m just saying that Vinny could have plugged Smith?s new wife, 2 handed him from behind, slew foot, whatever .... Yeah, Smith definitely could be the asshole here too, but personally I?d like to know more before I mother fuck the guy for THIS situation.

It's not this situation. It's the totality of it.

 

His level of play is totally relevant to the point of finding a way to get rid of him.

 

I don't know why we'd look at this one incident in a silo....