Rangers trade for Brendan Smith of Red Wings with Dan Girardi out two weeks
Once the Washington Capitals traded for Kevin Shattenkirk, the Blues defenseman who was at the top of the Rangers’ list late Monday, Blueshirts general manager Jeff Gorton moved to Plan B.
The Rangers acquired Brendan Smith from the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday morning for two draft picks: a third-rounder this June and a second-rounder in 2018.
The Rangers had two second-rounders next June, having acquired one in the trade with Ottawa that exchanged Derrick Brassard for Mika Zibanejad. They will send Ottawa’s pick to Detroit and keep their own second-rounder.
The Red Wings are in Vancouver, so Smith will not be available for Tuesday night’s game against the Capitals. He presumably will make his Blueshirts debut in Boston on Thursday.
Smith, a left-handed shot who can play on either side, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The 28-year-old has played 291 regular-season games and 27 playoff games for the Wings since the 2011-12 season. The 6-2 Ontario native, a first-round draft pick in 2007, has collected 15 goals, 67 points and 281 penalty minutes.
Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh was a teammate of Smith’s at Wisconsin for three years, and it is possible that coach Alain Vigneault will have a look at a McDonagh-Smith pairing at some point. Smith also was a teammate of Rangers center Derek Stepan at Wisconsin.
The Wings did…