The New Jersey Devils have announced that defenceman Ty Smith is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. This comes as the team prepares for its game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Amanda Stein reported the news Tuesday morning.
⚠️#NJDevils Ty Smith (upper body) isn’t skating today and won’t play tonight. He is day-to-day.
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) April 20, 2021
Devils Ty Smith Out Day-To-Day
Smith is having an excellent rookie season for the Devils in 2020-21. The 20-year-old skater has two goals and 21 points in 44 games. He is one of the team’s primary offensive defenders and leads all blueliners in average ice time on the power play with 2:30 per game. There is little question that he is one of the best rookies in hockey this year and is poised to do great things as a member of New Jersey’s next competitive core.
The Devils originally drafted Smith 17th overall in the 2018 Draft. He is the second member of that class to debut along with the intriguing Yegor Sharagnovich. Smith is still very young, but he been among the team’s best prospects since his draft year thanks to his solid all-around game. He is a very good skater with a strong shot and smart positioning all over the ice. There is plenty of room for him to grow, but his career is off to a strong start.
How New Jersey Replaces Smith
The team will have to do several things to replace Smith in the lineup. First, expect P.K. Subban and Damon Severson to handle even more of the burden on the power-play. Neither is having a year as good as Smith, but they are both capable veterans. Second, defenders such as Will Butcher and Jonas Siegenthaler will need to step up. Both have played in only 11 games, but they are the best left-handed replacements on the roster at this time. This is certainly a disappointing injury for Smith, but he should return soon.
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