Smith (back) announced his retirement from the NHL on Friday, Dean Brown of the Senators Radio Network reports.
Smith missed the entirety of the 2020-21 campaign with a back injury, so this news doesn't come as a surprise. The 2008 third-round pick will finish his 13-year NHL career having racked up 98 goals, 204 points, 1,318 hits and 722 PIM in 622 games split between the Senators and the Blackhawks.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Shifted to LTIR
Rotowire
Smith (back) was placed on long-term injured reserve Friday.
Smith has yet to play this season due to a back injury, and his placement on LTIR suggests he may not be able to play at all in 2020-21. If that ends up being the case, it wouldn't be surprising to see the 32-year-old forward announce his retirement following the current campaign.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Lands on IR
Rotowire
Smith (back) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.
Smith was waived by the Blackhawks on Jan. 4 and evidently still hasn't fully recovered from the back surgery he underwent in February. The 32-year-old pivot has just one year remaining on the four-year, $13 million contract he signed with Ottawa in 2017, and at this point it isn't clear if he'll be healthy enough to play in 2020-21.
The Blackhawks waived Smith (back) on Monday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Smith underwent back surgery last February and was unable to return for the playoff bubble in August. It's unclear if this injury is still bothering the 32-year-old forward. Smith has one year remaining at a $3.25 million cap hit, so there may not be many takers after he posted just 11 points over 50 games last season.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Done for the year
Rotowire
Smith will miss the rest of the season after undergoing back surgery Friday.
Smith will finish the season having notched four goals and 11 points while averaging 11:47 of ice time in 50 contests. The former Senator will return to a bottom-six role with the Blackhawks in 2020-21.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Out against St. Louis
Rotowire
Smith (back) won't play Tuesday against the Blues.
Smith has missed Chicago's last five games with a hand injury, but now it appears as though he's dealing with a separate back issue. There's currently no timeline for the 31-year-old forward's return to action.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Unavailable against Stars
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Smith (hand) won't play in Sunday's game versus the Stars, Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
Smith will miss a fifth straight game, but he should be returning to action soon. For the time being, Matthew Highmore will stay in the lineup, and Smith will aim to return Tuesday against the Blues.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Sidelined 7-10 days
Rotowire
Smith will miss 7-10 days due to a left-hand issue suffered Wednesday against the Canucks.
Smith hasn't played a huge scoring role for the Blackhawks and was in the midst of a nine-game pointless streak prior to the injury. His absence probably won't impact too many fantasy leagues, but Chicago will be down some physicality up front. Matthew Highmore will likely draw in for the weekend series.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Exits early with hand injury
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Smith (hand) will not return to Wednesday's game against the Canucks.
Smith was injured right at the end of the second period, heading to the locker room early due to a left hand injury. The 31-year-old will have a couple days to get healthy before Saturday's game in Calgary.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Doubles season goal total
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Smith scored a pair of goals, one while shorthanded, in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Canadiens.
Smith's tallies came 2:50 apart in the first period. He added four shots on goal, three hits and two PIM in the contest. The 31-year-old now has four goals and 11 points to go with 96 hits and 39 shots through 41 appearances.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Registers helper
Rotowire
Smith (personal) notched an assist and two hits in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Red Wings.
Smith didn't end up missing time due to the birth of his second child. He's up to eight points, 83 hits and 30 shots on goal through 36 games this season. The fourth-liner will remain off the fantasy radar in most formats.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Back with team
Rotowire
Smith (personal) re-joined the team for morning skate and will be in the lineup for Sunday's game against Detroit, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Smith missed Saturday's practice while witnessing the birth of his second child but was right back on the ice Sunday. With the Blackhawks electing to keep the same lineup from Thursday's game against Vancouver, the veteran will stay in the lineup, leaving Alex Nylander as a healthy scratch Sunday.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Dealing with personal matter
Rotowire
Smith (personal) won't practice Saturday.
It isn't clear if Smith will be available for Sunday's matchup with Detroit, but there's no reason for fantasy owners to track his status, as he's only totaled seven points in 35 games this campaign.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Bags helper for 200th career point
Rotowire
Smith recorded an assist, four hits and two PIM in Thursday's 7-5 loss to the Canucks.
Smith set up David Kampf's second-period goal. The assist was Smith's 200th career point, but it's taken him 647 games to get to that mark. The 31-year-old has 81 hits and 17 PIM in addition to his seven points in 35 contests in 2019-20.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Lone bright spot in loss
Rotowire
Smith potted a goal on two shots and added four hits in Monday's 7-1 loss to the Devils.
Smith opened the scoring at 3:21 of the first period, but the rest of the game was all Devils. It's just the second goal and six point of the year for Smith, who has added 29 shots on goal and 67 hits through 31 contests. The 31-year-old is best left on the waiver wire in fantasy.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Expected to play
Rotowire
Smith (illness) is expected to be available for Wednesday's clash with Colorado, Tracey Myers of NHL.com reports.
Smith missed morning skate due to an illness, but whatever kept him out of practice evidently isn't serious enough to hold him out of game action. The 31-year-old will slot into a bottom-six role against the Avalanche.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Under the weather
Rotowire
Smith is dealing with an illness ahead of Wednesday's matchup with Colorado.
Smith's status for Wednesday's contest will likely boil down to a game-time decision. If he's unable to go, Dylan Sikura will round out the Blackhawks' depth up front against the Avalanche.
Smith collected a shorthanded assist in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Avalanche.
Smith set up Brandon Saad for the first-period goal while Jonathan Toews served a slashing minor. Smith has a goal and an assist in his last two games but just five points in 19 games overall. The center has shown a little physicality with 38 hits, but that's probably not enough to make up for his lack of scoring from a fantasy perspective.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: First pair of assists in 2019-20
Rotowire
Smith generated two helpers, two hits and a plus-2 rating in a 5-3 win over the Golden Knights on Wednesday.
Smith's first season with the Blackhawks has been rough to begin with, as the pair of assists are his first points with his new team. He's produced 29 hits and a mere nine shots on goal through 11 appearances. Smith reached 20 points in five of his 11 seasons with the Senators prior to July's trade that sent him to the Windy City.
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Blackhawks' Zack Smith: Not on ice for warmups
Rotowire
Smith did not partake in warmups prior to Sunday's game against the Capitals and appears to be a healthy scratch, Scott Powers of The Athletic reports.
Smith is averaging just 9:52 of ice time per game and has been held scoreless through Chicago's first five games this season. The 31-year-old veteran may continue bouncing between the press box and a limited bottom-six role.
