Expectations for 2024-25: Smith was drafted by the Red Wings and spent eight years in the Detroit organization, so Stars GM Jim Nill knows him well. If you are drawing up the depth chart, Smith is probably your seventh defenseman. If that’s the case, he’s a great option. If he performs well, he might bump someone else’s minutes. As you make a guess about the defensive alignment, there is a chance Thomas Harley plays beside Miro Heiskanen on the top pair, Esa Lindell beside Matt Dumba, and that would mean Ilya Lyubushkin would be on the third pair. Because Lyubushkin is a righty, he might actually fit better with the left-handed Smith than the right-handed Nils Lundkvist. A lot of focus will come on the pairings during the preseason, especially if Harley isn’t signed yet. Mix in the fact, that the team is changing out three defensemen (four, if you count Joel Hanley). Smith missed games with knee injuries last season, so that will be something to watch, but he really seems like a player who can help upgrade the defensive depth. Mix in the possibility of Lian Bichsel becoming a regular, and the depth could be better than ever.
