C.J. Smith practiced with his Buffalo Sabres teammates on Thursday after signing his two-year, entry-level contract.
Smith wore #49 and skated on a third line trio with Zemgus Girgensons and Matt Moulson.
Afterwards, Smith talked about his whirlwind week which has seen him play college hockey, lose a college hockey game then become a millionaire by signing his two year entry level NHL contract.
Thanks, Sabres TV
Smith (5'11", 185 lbs.) signed with the Sabres after completing his third season with the UMass Lowell River Hawks.
In 2016-17, Smith finished tied for eighth among NCAA skaters with 23 goals and ranked 12th with 51 points. Smith was also named the Hockey East Tournament MVP after leading the tournament with eight points (4G, 4A) in five games.
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, and a veteran of the USHL, Smith finished his NCAA career with 125 points (56G, 69A) in 120 games. Smith was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team in 2014-15 and was named to the league's All-Tournament Teams each of the last two seasons.
Smith signed for the NHL rookie max of $925K per season.
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Sabres forward Samson Reinhart face the music regarding his benching in Columbus on Tuesday night.
"Sh*t happens.....", Reinhart said after practice.
Reinhart said he misread a text and was 5-6 minutes late to team stretch. His tardiness cost him a full-game benching.
“It was a tough one to swallow,… Reinhart said. “I feel I’ve been a pretty good team guy the last two years.…
Reinhart kept a stiff upper lip when discussing the penalty for breaking a team rule. Reinhart took his medicine like a pro and rocked on.
"It's a coach's decision. It's a management decision. From my perspective, I would rather have battled it out with my teammates. I don't think five minutes in the morning is going to influence my preparation for a game but it was on a team stretch and I should have been there on time".
Predictably, Reinhart's linemate and roommate Jack Eichel took up for his boy.
“We’re obviously not going to hold it over his head here,… Eichel said. “He didn’t really do too much wrong.…
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Sounds like Alex Nylander won't be nudged out of consideration for promotion to the Sabres now that C.J. Smith is a newly minted member of the team.
Dan Bylsma told Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News that the Smith signing doesn't preculade a Nylander promotion to Buffalo.
Translation:
Smith and Nylander will play and veterans like will be scratched to make way for the kids. I'm sure Matt Moulson will be thrilled to be a scratch against his great friend John Tavares and the NY Islanders on Sunday afternoon.