New Jersey Devils: Can Ty Smith Fix This On HIs Own?

The New Jersey Devils are desperate to get better play out of Ty Smith. The 2018 1st-round pick was phenomenal in 2021. Well, at least he was great in the first part of the year. He was legitimately the best rookie defenseman last season. He finished 7th in the Calder Trophy race, but that seems like it was more an expression of the Devils’ ineptitude that it was holding anything against Smith.

This season, it seems like Smith took several steps back. He is making terrible mistakes in his own zone and in the offensive zone. Smith has been on the ice for 12 goals for his team, and he’s been on the ice for 22 goals against according to Natural Stat Trick. Smith is the only defenseman on the team that has seen more high-danger chances against him than he’s been on the ice for at even strength.

His numbers all over the place are terrible. His defense has taken a step back and his offense has taken three steps back. It would be okay if Smith was still making some mistakes. That’s to be expected from a 21-year-old defenseman. However, losing his offensive instincts really takes away most of the positives of his game.

Things get a little better when looking at the power play. It’s not much, but it’s something. He has been on the ice for eight high-danger chances and four total goals with the extra man. Only Dawson Mercer has been on the ice for at least one power-play goal for roughly every 10 minutes of power-play time when looking at the regulars on the PP.

Still, Smith needs to provide offense at all times when he’s on the ice. Smith has taken faceoffs in the offensive zone 62 percent of the time. That’s the most on the team. Lindy Ruff is not putting him in positions to have to play defense. Yet, he’s not providing offense. The team seems to lose the puck a lot when he’s on the ice, and they are running to the other side to play defense far too often. He was supposed to be a luxury of offensive production now that the Devils added Dougie Hamilton. Instead, his offense has disappeared.

The Devils have some options with Ty Smith. He still isn’t eligible for waivers, so if they really want to, they can send him to Utica to build his confidence. The Devils have been playing with a pieced together defense for the past month anyway due to injuries and COVID protocols. Would it really be that bad if the Devils put in Colton White or Kevin Bahl for a week or two while Smith destroyed the AHL?

The skills are there. Smith has shown a few offensive flashes when the puck is on his stick. Multiple times, he’s sent a seeing-eye shot to the net that ends up going in.

Smith has been bad this season. There is no denying that, but he has the skill set to turn it around. The good news is it’s his offense that’s struggled more than his defense. His defense is rough too, but that was to be expected. His mistakes in the offensive zone are what he needs to fix first. That can happen, but it’s something that has to be done during this pause. The new schedule after this week, especially with the schedule at the Prudential Center during the Olympic Break, will be fierce. It’s not going to breed a lot of time off. So, Smith needs to fix his offense now. If he doesn’t, it might be best for the Devils to let him build some confidence in the minor leagues.