Lightning close to trade for $1 million forward from Predators
· Yahoo Sports
Lightning close to trade for $1 million forward from Predators originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are seeking some forward depth.
Visit hilogame.news for more information.
The Nashville Predators are definite sellers before Friday's NHL trade deadline.
Certainly sounds like a possible match, and that aligns with what insider Frank Seravalli reported on Tuesday night.
Seravalli writes that the Lightning have been "circling around" Smith in trade talks.
"Smith was removed from tonight's game after a three-second shift - and the pending UFA winger is awaiting word on a potential trade destination," Seravalli added in his post on X.
UPDATE: Smith has been traded to Vegas, not Tampa.
MORE: Maple Leafs getting help from Flyers to trade veteran center
Smith is a pending unrestricted free agent with a very manageable cap hit of just $1 million.
The 30-year old, 6-foot-3, gritty forward was an undrafted player out of the University of North Dakota when he entered the NHL
He has played all six of his seasons with Nashville, really having to work his way to relevance. In his first campaign, Smith got just one game, and in his second, it was eight.
But he's played 69, 80, 71 and now 41 games for the Predators over the last four seasons.
Overall, in 270 games with Nashville, Smith has 23 goals and 39 assists (62 points) with 223 penalty minutes. He has also blocked 99 shots and dished out an impressive 736 hits despite playing just 13 minutes and 22 seconds of average ice time per game.
Smith clearly has a role he plays, and he plays it well enough to be desired in a trade by a contender like the Lightning.
More NHL news:
- Oilers want 2 positions before the NHL trade deadline
- A salary cap rule may make 2 Flames trades difficult
- Canadiens know trade cost for Robert Thomas
- It'll be complicated to trade for Steven Stamkos
- Alex Ovechkin has shared an update on his retirement plans
- Evgeni Malkin gets big news on a possible future