42 Brendan Smith D

Smith scored his second goal of the season in Thursday's 6-1 win over New Jersey. He rounded out his stat line with a shot, two blocks, a plus-3 rating and five PIM.

Smith's goal from the high slot gave the Rangers a 5-1 lead, as backup Devils goaltender Aaron Dell failed to track the puck after it left the front of the net, giving the defenseman plenty of room to shoot at. He also dropped the gloves with Michael McLeod seconds after McLeod wasn't penalized for what looked like a hit from behind. Smith provides physicality from the blue line, having topped 60 PIM in each of the previous seven seasons, but he has never reached the 20-point mark.

Smith scored a goal on his only shot in Thursday's 3-2 shootout win over the Flyers.

No. 42 scored his first goal in 42 games, dating back to Dec. 26, 2019. Smith didn't have to do much to give New York a 2-1 third-period lead, as a cross-crease Artemi Panarin pass off a rebound gave Smith an empty net to shoot at, though the veteran blueliner deserves credit for going to the net in the first place on what started as an innocent-looking play. While Smith could see bigger minutes in the short term with New York battling injuries on the blue line, his customary role is as a rotational piece between the third pairing and the press box.

Smith (upper body) will return to the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Devils, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.

Smith has missed the Rangers' last four games with an upper-body injury, but he'll return to a second-pairing role against New Jersey. The 32-year-old blueliner has picked up one assist in six games this campaign.

Smith (upper body) will not suit up for Friday's contest against the Bruins, Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today reports.

Smith has now missed four consecutive games while dealing with an upper-body issue. The 32-year-old blueliner has an assist and 13 hits through six games this season. The severity of his injury is still uncertain, so he'll be questionable for Sunday's contest against the Flyers.

Smith (upper body) won't play Wednesday against the Bruins, Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today reports.

Smith is close to returning, but he'll miss at least one more contest with his upper-body issue. Either way, he's only picked up nine points in 68 games over the past two campaigns, so most fantasy managers won't need to track his availability.

Smith (upper body) will not suit up for Monday's tilt with the Islanders, Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today reports.

Smith will miss his second consecutive game with an upper-body issue. He's scored just one point in six games but hasn't earned a point since his first appearance of the season. The 32-year-old is questionable for Wednesday's game against Boston.

Smith (upper body) isn't expected to play Thursday against the Capitals, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Smith needed assistance leaving the ice after suffering an upper-body injury during Monday's game versus the Penguins, and at this point there's no telling when he might be ready to return. Libor Hajek will get a look on the Rangers' third pairing until Smith is ready to return.

Smith (upper body) left Monday's game against the Penguins and will not return.

Smith collided with Brandon Tanev in the first period and went down hard. He immediately went to the locker room and needed assistance leaving the ice. Until an update is available, the 31-year-old will be questionable for Thursday's game against Washington.

Smith finished with an assist and a plus-3 rating in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Islanders.

Smith was a healthy scratch for Thursday's opener but was inserted into the lineup with Anthony DeAngelo scratched for disciplinary reasons. The veteran blueliner played like a man who doesn't want to go back to the press box, and coach David Quinn could opt to stick with Smith over Jack Johnson on the third pairing when DeAngelo gets out of the doghouse. Smith's best sequence came on New York's second goal, as he blocked a shot in transition and immediately sent a stretch pass to spring Artemi Panarin on a breakaway, which the Bread Man converted low glove side on Ilya Sorokin.

Smith blocked a shot in 11:27 of ice time in Sunday's 3-1 loss to Boston, playing on the blue line for a third consecutive game.

Smith has been deployed primarily as a fourth-line forward this season, but injuries on the Rangers' blue line have forced him to shift back to his natural position on defense for the last three games. The veteran's versatility is probably his greatest asset, but Smith is a below-average option wherever he plays -- he has just six points in 53 games.

Smith skated just 5:44 in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Canucks.

Smith saw 1:02 as a defenseman on the penalty kill while logging 4:42 as a winger on New York's seldom-used fourth line. Despite his positional versatility, Smith's value is limited given his 3-3-6 line and 31 PIM through 40 games.

Smith scored a goal on one shot and posted three hits in a 2-1 loss to the Canadiens on Friday.

With another goal, Smith already has three this season, putting him only one behind his total last season and two short of his career-best mark. Smith's 12.0 shooting percentage is nearly 8.0 percent higher than his career norm, but that improvement could be due to his position switch from denfenseman to forward. Smith also has three assists, a minus-6 rating, 24 PIM, 11 blocks and 39 hits in 28 games this season.

Smith scored a goal on his only shot and posted three hits against the Hurricanes on Wednesday.

His shooting percentage sits at 9.1 percent, so this scoring pace is unlikely to continue unless he starts registering more shots on net, but Smith already has two goals and five assists. He hasn't recorded more than four goals or 15 points since 2013-14. Smith also has 34 hits in 23 games, putting him on pace for a career high in that category.

Smith dished out two hits and took a two-minute penalty in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Capitals.

Smith continues to operate as a fourth-line forward, but discipline remains a problem for the converted defenseman. The Capitals scored their only goal with Smith in the box, and he's up to 17 PIM in 19 games this season. Smith also has just one point in his past 15 games after starting the season with three points through four games.

Smith generated an assist, two shots on net, two blocked shots and a plus-1 rating in Sunday's 7-4 loss to the Bruins.

As he occasionally does, Smith was bumped from the blue line to the fourth forward line. The Rangers seem content with leaving Smith at forward even when all their skaters are healthy, although his ice time is limited in the bottom six. He has performed well in that role, though, as the 30-year-old now has four points and 23 hits through nine games.

Smith scored a shorthanded empty-netter to seal a 6-4 win over the Jets on Thursday.

Smith opens the 2019-20 campaign in a peculiar role, skating as a fourth-line forward at even strength while being used as a defenseman on the penalty kill -- 3:33 of his 9:02 spent on the ice came while down a man. The swing man spent the offseason learning forward positioning from his brother Reilly of the Golden Knights, and Smith's eligibility at both wing and defense is a nice boon in the fantasy realm, but don't expect much scoring from a guy who has never reached the 20-point mark since cracking the NHL in 2011-12.

Smith finished with one shot over 19:10 of ice time in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Canucks.

Smith saw a team-high 8:10 of shorthanded ice time, as the referees handed out a pair of five-minute majors and game misconducts to the Rangers in this one, including one to Brendan Lemieux that most observers would agree didn't even deserve a two-minute minor. The versatile blueliner also saw some time among the forward ranks with the Rangers short two guys at the position, just as he had when injuries thinned the forward group earlier this season. Despite his occasional stints on the wing, Smith has just nine points in 52 games.

Smith dished out a helper in Friday's 6-2 win over the Sabres.

The Rangers dressed seven defensemen in this one, of which Smith ranked fifth with 17:01 of ice time, suggesting he's unlikely to be the odd man out should New York shift back to a traditional 12 up front and six on the blue line. Smith hasn't lit the lamp since Nov. 17 and has just two points in his last 18 appearances, so it's safe to keep ignoring him in the majority of formats.

Smith was a healthy scratch in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Smith recorded a helper Saturday against the Blue Jackets, but that wasn't enough for the oft-scratched blueliner to maintain his lineup spot. The opportunity for playing time created by Neal Pionk's upper-body injury is now being capitalized on by Ryan Lindgren, who was called up from AHL Hartford and plugged in on the blue line at Smith's expense. It appears that Smith -- despite carrying a $4.35 million cap hit -- is destined to watch from the press box more often than not.

Smith (upper body) is out for Saturday's game versus the Panthers.

He suffered an upper-body injury a few days ago but that doesn't appear to be the main problem. The official roster report has Smith listed as a scratch, so it's safe to assume he's healthy. Perhaps the Rangers elected to sit him to give him some extra rest, as a courtesy. Expect Smith to be good to go Monday in Tampa Bay.