Before we get into the meat and guts of this article, it’s important to make something clear: Brendan Smith has not had a great start to his 2017-18 season. The optics and the data both tell us that he has not been playing up to his potential and that is a big problem for the New York Rangers. But does that really mean he should be scratched for Nick Holden or Steven Kampfer?
Heading into this season it felt like Smith’s spot on the second pair was all but set in stone.