Golden Knights' Cole Smith: Scores game-winner Tuesday
Rotowire
Smith scored the game-winning goal and added four hits in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Canucks.
Smith has two goals over his last four contests. The 30-year-old winger's tally was the game-winner Tuesday, coming at 12:13 of the third period. He's up to eight goals, four assists, 67 shots on net, 166 hits, 40 PIM and a minus-6 rating over 59 appearances between the Golden Knights and the Predators. He'll likely continue to see fourth-line minutes for Vegas moving forward.
... See More... See Less
Golden Knights' Cole Smith: First point with new team
Rotowire
Smith scored an empty-net goal and added seven hits in Monday's 4-2 win over the Canucks.
Smith was acquired by the Golden Knights from the Predators on March 3, but the 30-year-old winger has been invisible on offense since the trade. His empty-netter Monday was his first point since before the Olympic break, when he was still on Nashville's roster. He's managed 11 shots on net, 35 hits and nine PIM in 14 outings for Vegas, but he's been confined to a bottom-six role that doesn't lead to much offense. For the season, Smith has 11 points, 62 shots, 40 PIM, 154 hits and a minus-5 rating over 56 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Golden Knights' Cole Smith: Dealt to Vegas
Rotowire
Smith was traded to the Golden Knights from the Predators on Tuesday in exchange for Christoffer Sedoff and a 2028 third-round pick.
Smith was officially in the lineup Tuesday for Nashville, but logged just one three-second shift. The 30-year-old will now take his talents to Vegas, where he'll reunite with Colton Sissons as a fixture in the Golden Knights' bottom six. Smith fits in well for a physical bottom six in Vegas, and he should also be part of his new team's penalty-killing structure. Smith has just 10 points in 42 outings this season, though he's added 119 hits and 31 PIM, with his toughness being his best asset.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Fills empty net
Rotowire
Smith scored an empty-net goal on three shots and added six hits in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Senators.
Smith has two goals over his last six games. The 30-year-old has started to receive more middle-six opportunities thanks to his strong defensive work and physical play. He's at six goals, two assists, 45 shots on net, 97 hits, 25 PIM and a minus-6 rating over 31 outings. Smith is likely to be limited to the third line at best, but he can provide a boost to hits and PIM in deep fantasy formats.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Deposits empty-netter
Rotowire
Smith scored an empty-net goal, doled out seven hits and added two PIM in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Maple Leafs.
This was Smith's fourth goal of the season, and his first point in two games since he returned from a six-week absence due to an upper-body injury. The 30-year-old figures to play a bottom-six role and see time on the penalty kill now that he's healthy. Smith has added 20 shots on net, 46 hits and 10 PIM over 15 appearances this season.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Activated Wednesday
Rotowire
Smith (upper body) was activated from injured reserve Wednesday.
Smith's activation paves the way for him to be back in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Hurricanes. The 30-year-old will be in the mix for bottom-six minutes moving forward. It's not yet clear who might come out of the lineup to make room for Smith's return.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Considered day-to-day
Rotowire
Smith (upper body) was labeled day-to-day by head coach Andrew Brunette ahead of Tuesday's matchup with Colorado, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.
Smith is still on injured reserve and won't be in action to face the Avs, but he certainly appears to be trending in the right direction. In his 13 appearances this season, the winger has scored three goals on 18 shots while dishing out 35 hits. Once cleared to play, Smith should slot into a bottom-six role for the Preds.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Moves to IR
Rotowire
Smith (upper body) was shifted to injured reserve Friday.
Considering Smith is already expected to be sidelined for 3-6 weeks, the decision to place him on injured reserve shouldn't come as a surprise. In his 13 appearances this year, the 30-year-old winger managed three goals, 18 shots and 35 hits while averaging 13:26 of ice time.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Pots goal Thursday
Rotowire
Smith scored a goal, took two shots on goal and delivered three hits in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Canucks.
Smith delivered the game-winning goal in this low-scoring matchup with a tip-in at 5:09 of the third period. It was just his second goal of the campaign, but to be fair, Smith isn't much of an offensive weapon for the Predators. In addition to his two goals on 11 shots, the bottom-six forward has four PIM and 21 hits across eight appearances this year.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Adds helper Tuesday
Rotowire
Smith posted an assist and seven PIM in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Panthers.
This was Smith's third assist over his last five games. He also fought Sam Bennett in retaliation for the Panthers forward's hit on Roman Josi in the second period. Smith is up to eight points, 38 shots on net, 51 PIM, 110 hits and a minus-10 rating over 46 outings this season. He plays in a fourth-line role and offers little in fantasy aside from physicality.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Manages assist in loss
Rotowire
Smith notched an assist, two shots on goal, five hits and two PIM in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Blackhawks.
The helper was Smith's first point in eight games since he returned from a lower-body injury Jan. 21. The 29-year-old has resumed a fourth-line role, though he's logged 14-plus minutes in five of those eight contests. Smith has six points, 36 shots on net, 44 PIM, 105 hits and a minus-10 rating across 42 outings. The physicality is solid, but he'll need to be more consistent on offense to draw much attention in fantasy.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Considered day-to-day
Rotowire
Head coach Andrew Brunette said Monday that Smith (lower body) is considered day-to-day, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.
Smith has been on injured reserve for nearly a month due to a lower-body injury, but he appears to be close to returning to game action. Brunette isn't yet sure whether Smith will be available for Tuesday's game against San Jose, but he said that if the 29-year-old can't return against the Sharks, he's unlikely to miss much more time.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Facing extended absence
Rotowire
Smith was placed on injured reserve Monday and will miss 4-6 weeks due to a lower-body injury.
Smith was injured in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over the Kings after blocking a shot, according to Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean. Juuso Parssinen could receive more playing time as a result of Smith's injury. The Predators went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen Monday against Carolina.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Nabs helper Sunday
Rotowire
Smith notched an assist in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Canucks.
Smith has two points over his last three games after going eight contests without getting on the scoresheet. The 29-year-old's offense is likely to remain limited since he plays almost exclusively on the fourth line with no power-play time. Smith is up to four points, 18 shots on net, 46 hits, 13 PIM and a minus-7 rating through 19 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Lights lamp in overtime loss
Rotowire
Smith scored a goal, logged two hits and went plus-2 in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Oilers.
Smith snapped an eight-game point drought with his third-period tally, which salvaged a standings point for the Predators. The 29-year-old winger has done little on offense this season with three points through 17 contests while filling a bottom-six role. He's added 14 shots on net, 43 hits, 13 PIM and a minus-6 rating. Smith offers plenty of grit and appears to have the upper hand to stay in the lineup over Mark Jankowski even if he doesn't score much.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Unavailable Friday
Rotowire
Smith (upper body) will not play Friday against the Canucks for Game 6.
Smith is considered day-to-day, indicating he could return Sunday for Game 7 if Nashville avoids elimination. The 28-year-old has 12 hits and no points in five games this series. Juuso Parssinen will dress in Smith's absence for Game 6.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Back in action
Rotowire
Smith (rest) is slated to play Monday versus the Penguins, per Zach Gilchriest of the Predators' official site.
Smith will play in Nashville's regular-season finale after missing Saturday's 6-4 win over Columbus for roster management purposes. He has chipped in nine goals, 23 points, 111 shots on net and 233 hits in 79 games this season.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Resting Saturday
Rotowire
Smith will not play in Saturday's tilt versus the Blue Jackets due to roster management reasons.
That has been the Predators' phrasing for when they are resting players, so it's safe to assume Smith is just getting a breather before the playoffs. The 28-year-old has no points over six games in April, and he's at 23 points, 233 hits, 111 shots on net and 63 PIM through 79 contests overall.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Agrees to two-year extension
Rotowire
Smith signed a two-year, $2 million contract extension with Nashville on Wednesday.
Smith will first complete his one-year, $775,000 deal, which means his new contract will begin in 2024-25. He has five goals, 16 points, 118 hits and 21 blocks in 46 outings this season. The 28-year-old is likely to continue to serve as a bottom-six forward over the life of his new contract.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Cole Smith: Lights lamp twice in win
Rotowire
Smith scored his first two goals of the season, including the game-winner, in Thursday's 4-1 victory over the Rangers.
Both tallies came in the first period, and Juuse Saros never relinquished that early lead. Smith had only four goals and 17 points in 69 games last season, but the 27-year-old checking winger is off to a strong start to 2023-24 with three points through five games to go along with seven shots, seven PIM, eight hits, three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating.
