When the Pittsburgh Penguins placed young defenseman Ty Smith on waivers, it came as a surprise to see him chopped from the training camp roster so quickly.
Even more surprising was that Smith made it through waivers and remained within the Penguins organization.
Smith is an offensively gifted blue liner who is working for cheap this season on a deal that earns him under $1 million.
Not only did the Penguins cut him from their roster, but 31 other teams in the NHL decided he wasn’t a fit at the moment.
When it was announced that the Penguins placed Smith on waivers, it seemed all but certain at least one team would scoop him up, but what gives? Why did no one take a flier on the young defenseman?
Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast said asked around about Smith wondering why he made it through.
According to Friedman, multiple people had the same reason, Smith isn’t competitive enough.
Smith isn’t the biggest defensemen you’ve ever seen and teams are concerned that he doesn’t bring the right compete level to be a consistent face.
Despite 123 NHL games under his belt, people want to see more battle out of Smith.
It's still a surprise that no one stepped in to take a flier on Smith, but there seems to at least be a reason for his passing through waivers.
Right away for Smith, that opportunity to show an increase in compete level won’t come with the Penguins or at the NHL level.
With Smith clearing waivers, he will likely start the season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL and work is way back from there.
That’s where Smith started his season last year and appeared in only nine games at the NHL level.
It’s clear Smith has the skill to play in the big league, but people believe there is more to be had from the 23-year-old.
Smith will find his way back to the NHL soon enough, it’s really just becoming a question of when and where.
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