As of right now I don’t really have anything concrete or speculative to pass along in regards to Erik Karlsson. San Jose continues to play the waiting game hoping somebody will step up and pay their price. It appears their suitors (PIT/CAR) are both in lock step in refraining from meeting the cost. So we continue to wait.
The Penguins signed Ty Smith over the weekend. He signed a league minimum contract for one-year
The Penguins have signed defenseman Ty Smith to a one-year contract.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 15, 2023
The deal runs through the 2023.24 season, carrying an average annual value of $775,000.
This signing was never really in doubt. It was a formality, a necessary one, though. Smith, who was acquired in the Marino trade, never really found his footing with the big club last year. A big part of the reason was his contract status. He could slip through waivers and other players couldn’t. It can be hard enough to compete for a roster spot. For Smith, he had to show he was not only good enough to play, but he had to be good enough for another player to be put on waivers. The front office did not deem him worthy of putting someone else on waivers and he played most of the year in WB/S. He had 24 points in 39 games.
When injuries racked up he was given a nine-game run. In those nine games he played 130 minutes at 5v5 registering one goal. In spot duty on the power play he added three assists. He had an xGF% of 58.56 at 5v5. It is tough to make any sweeping judgements on 130 minutes of 5v5 time he had. Although, it certainly wasn’t problematic and if he has a good showing in camp he should be given decent look at the big roster.
One big reason is I believe if an Erik Karlsson trade goes down, Pierre-Olivier Joseph will be going the other way as a mild sweetner. Joseph has shown he is an NHL player. He is cost-controlled. He is the type of player who I easily see being moved in a three-way trade. If things play out this way, Ty Smith will have a legit shot at making the big roster and filling out the bottom pairing. He’s at absolutely the right price point for this role.
For now, he waits like all of us to see how this offseason will play out on the depth chart.
Thanks for reading!