NHL Journeyman Brendan Smith Given New Contract by Metro Division Team

Around the NHL, there are many journeymen that have played simple depth roles in the league for a long time to come, and while they're getting rarer due to the young talent entering the National Hockey League, there are still many out there.

One of them is 36-year old Brendan Smith, who last played for the Dallas Stars in 2024/25, with the former first-round pick showing off his value as a depth piece and a leader in the locker room.

Now, he's officially found his way onto his sixth NHL team after the Columbus Blue Jackets officially handed him a professional tryout on Tuesday, giving him the chance to play significant regular season games again in 2025/26 and potentially beyond.

Last year, Smith played in 32 games with the Dallas Stars, tallying a goal and six points in that time as he crossed the 700 game threshold in the National Hockey League.

Previously, the former No. 27 overall pick played for the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils and the Stars, and while his career high is just 19 points, he provides a valuable role on the bottom-pairing that every team in the league needs.

While he's unlikely to play a significant role for the Blue Jackets, this is a young team in need of leadership and depth, both of which Smith provides, and in case of injury, he's a fantastic option lower down in their lineup if he can make the team on the back of this PTO.