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Brendan Smith

#7 · Defence · Free agent, last with the Columbus Blue Jackets

Born Feb 8, 1989 in Mimico, Ontario, CAN · 6'2", 200 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 27th overall in 2007 by DET (round 1)

Compare with a similar player

The defencemen closest to him in points in 2024-25. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Dennis Gilbert OTT · 6 P in 29 GP Ethan Del Mastro CHI · 6 P in 24 GP Jack Johnson CBJ · 6 P in 41 GP Nick DeSimone UTA · 6 P in 20 GP Artyom Levshunov CHI · 6 P in 18 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

0510152011-12: 7 points711-122012-13: 8 points82013-14: 19 points1913-142014-15: 13 points132015-16: 15 points1515-162016-17: 9 points92017-18: 8 points817-182018-19: 13 points132019-20: 8 points819-202020-21: 10 points102021-22: 8 points821-222022-23: 5 points52023-24: 15 points1523-242024-25: 6 points62025-26: 2 points225-26

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2011-12 DET 14 1 6 7 3 13 13 17 0.50 $875K
2012-13 DET 34 0 8 8 1 36 33 20 0.24 $875K
2013-14 DET 71 5 14 19 -2 68 90 57 0.27 $1.263M
2014-15 DET 76 4 9 13 -2 68 88 60 0.17 $1.263M
2015-16 DET 63 3 12 15 1 62 82 94 0.24 $2.75M
2016-17 DET 33 2 3 5 -1 34 39 43 0.15 $2.75M
2016-17 NYR 18 1 3 4 2 29 23 16 0.22
2017-18 NYR 44 1 7 8 2 69 66 58 0.18 $4.35M
2018-19 NYR 63 4 9 13 -7 71 66 100 0.21 $4.35M
2019-20 NYR 62 3 5 8 -12 71 45 90 0.13 $4.35M
2020-21 NYR 48 5 5 10 3 73 58 84 0.21 $4.35M
2021-22 CAR 45 4 4 8 6 36 63 73 0.18 $800K
2022-23 NJD 60 0 5 5 3 63 58 102 0.08 $1.1M
2023-24 NJD 63 5 10 15 -3 61 60 117 0.24 $1.1M
2024-25 DAL 32 1 5 6 -9 33 27 41 0.19 $1M
2025-26 CBJ 15 0 2 2 -1 11 10 12 0.13 $800K
15 seasons Career 741 39 107 146 -16 798 821 984 0.20

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2012-13 DET 14 2 3 5 -3 10 17 12 0.36
2013-14 DET 5 0 0 0 1 8 7 10 0.00
2014-15 DET 5 0 0 0 1 6 6 15 0.00
2015-16 DET 3 0 1 1 2 0 6 9 0.33
2016-17 NYR 12 0 4 4 8 20 11 25 0.33
2019-20 NYR 3 0 0 0 -1 4 3 16 0.00
2021-22 CAR 14 1 3 4 0 12 15 26 0.29
2022-23 NJD 3 0 1 1 3 12 2 9 0.33
8 seasons Playoffs 59 3 12 15 11 72 67 122 0.25

2024-25 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
32 1 5 6 -9 33 27 41 0.19 3.7 13:13

Contract

$1MCap hitends in 2025, then UFA
$167KCap dollars per point6 points in 32 games
-$372KWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$1.4MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. He rated at or below a spare-part player, so there is no cost per goal to show. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 698 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Dallas Stars on Jul 1, 2024, as a new contract (35+): 1 year and $1M, beginning in 2024-25. It runs through 2024-25, so this is its last season, after which he is an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2024-25 $1M $1M $0 $1M

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Nov 24, 2025 Columbus Blue Jackets New contract 2025-26 to 2025-26 1 $800K $800K
Jul 1, 2024 Dallas Stars New contract (35+) 2024-25 to 2024-25 1 $1M $1M
Jul 13, 2022 New Jersey Devils New contract 2022-23 to 2023-24 2 $2.2M $1.1M
Jul 29, 2021 Carolina Hurricanes New contract 2021-22 to 2021-22 1 $800K $800K
Jun 28, 2017 New York Rangers Extension 2017-18 to 2020-21 4 $17.4M $4.35M
Jun 30, 2015 Detroit Red Wings Extension 2015-16 to 2016-17 2 $5.5M $2.75M
Jul 17, 2013 Detroit Red Wings New contract 2013-14 to 2014-15 2 $2.525M $1.263M
May 28, 2010 Detroit Red Wings Entry-level 2010-11 to 2012-13 3 $2.625M $875K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2024-25 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2024-25 analytics

Rating

-1.5Goals above replacement615th of 698 skaters, 201st of 242 defencemen
-0.2Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-2.9Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 242 ranked defencemen: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence-0.5 59th percentileEven-strength defence-2.8 13th percentilePower play0.0 66th percentilePenalty kill-0.1 37th percentilePenalties+0.5 93rd percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among defencemen. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Provisional: under 40 games it is more chance than player.

-202462011-122013-142015-162017-182019-202021-222023-242025-26Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

50.6Corsi for %396 attempts for, 387 against
+0.4CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
46.4Expected goals for %17.2 expected for, 19.9 against
-7.4xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
48.6Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
35.1Goals for %13 for, 24 against
96.5PDO7.6% shooting + 88.9% saves
78Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

These are left plain: he has not been on the ice enough to be ranked. That takes at least 200 shot attempts with him out there, about six or seven games, and a quarter of what the busiest skater has. Over a game or two these numbers are mostly chance.

Who he played with

Defence pairGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Brendan Smith · Mathew Dumba15107:4353.743.42-10
Brendan Smith · Ilya Lyubushkin2266:2649.346.23-2
Brendan Smith · Nils Lundkvist954:4057.453.24-2
Brendan Smith · Cody Ceci954:2046.751.02-4

The pairs he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's pairs that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net.

1Goalsnot counting empty-netters
1.8Expected goalsfrom 48 unblocked attempts
-0.8Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.25 expected goals per 60 minutes76th
Shot quality 3.7% chance per attempt76th
Finishing -0.8 goals above expected35thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 244 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

00.511.5Game 20Expected 1.8Goals 1

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 16, 2025 @ NSH L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 2 0 2 15:31
Apr 14, 2025 @ DET L 4-6 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 16:46
Apr 12, 2025 vs UTA L 3-5 1 0 1 1 0 3 2 16:55
Mar 29, 2025 @ SEA W 5-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11:03
Mar 14, 2025 @ WPG L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 15:17
Mar 2, 2025 vs STL W 6-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 2 14:15
Feb 28, 2025 vs LAK W 6-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 14:51
Feb 25, 2025 @ CBJ L 4-6 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 12:25
Feb 8, 2025 @ SJS W 8-3 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 16:15
Feb 7, 2025 @ LAK L 4-5 (SO) 0 1 1 0 5 0 0 12:37
Jan 31, 2025 vs VAN W 5-3 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 09:00
Jan 28, 2025 @ VGK W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 07:58
Jan 25, 2025 @ STL W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 08:52
Jan 24, 2025 vs VGK W 4-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 10:15
Jan 21, 2025 vs CAR L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 2 0 3 10:38
Jan 19, 2025 vs DET W 4-1 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 16:02
Jan 7, 2025 @ NYR W 5-4 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 13:43
Dec 18, 2024 vs TOR L 3-5 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 15:50
Dec 16, 2024 vs WSH W 3-1 0 0 0 0 9 0 1 10:54
Dec 14, 2024 vs STL W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 08:07
Nov 27, 2024 @ CHI L 2-6 0 0 0 -4 2 3 0 16:01
Nov 25, 2024 @ CAR L 4-6 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 13:09
Nov 23, 2024 @ TBL W 4-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 11:22
Nov 18, 2024 vs ANA L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 5 13:53
Nov 16, 2024 @ MIN W 2-1 0 0 0 0 7 0 2 14:16
Nov 14, 2024 vs BOS W 7-2 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 16:27
Nov 11, 2024 @ PIT W 7-1 0 2 2 0 2 1 2 16:47
Nov 2, 2024 @ FLA L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 12:45
Oct 19, 2024 vs EDM W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 12:39
Oct 17, 2024 @ WSH L 2-3 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 13:27
Oct 15, 2024 vs SJS W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 11:34
Oct 13, 2024 vs SEA W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 13:07