The New Jersey Devils signed goaltender Jakob Markström in an effort to recover from a poor 2023–24 campaign. On the other hand, the team’s senior player Brendan Smith signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Stars after becoming a free agent on July 1. While playing for the Devils, Smith—who had previously been a member of the Carolina Hurricanes—set a new career high with five goals and twenty points. Smith stayed with the team past the NHL trade deadline, even though the Devils were willing to listen to offers.
The Detroit Red Wings selected Smith with the 27th overall pick in 2007; he did not sign his first NHL contract until 2010. After spending a season with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, he made his NHL debut on November 27, 2011. He spent the previous two years with the New Jersey Devils after being moved from the Detroit Red Wings after six seasons with the Rangers.
While expressing his desire to stay with the Devils organization, Smith made it clear that playing in the NHL for an extended period of time was his top priority during his exit interview. He signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Stars after becoming a free agency after the season finished. Along with tenacity, the squad will gain Matt Dumba, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Lian Bichsel, as well as Smith, who had 117 hits and 101 blocked shots in the previous season. Despite being 35 years old, Smith is still going strong in the National Hockey League and has another season yet to go.
