Cole Smith is an interesting signing for the Chicago Blackhawks. He is a forward who brings a physical presence that the Blackhawks have lacked during the Connor Bedard era. Their bottom six is starting to take shape with the addition of Smith.
There are a lot of combinations that could work with a player like this added to the mix, but you’d think some trio including Smith and the newly acquired Jordan Greenway will make up the fourth line.
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On Tuesday, Smith met with the Chicago media for the first time, and he had some interesting things to say about his earliest days as a member of the organization.
A lot of his early comments have to do with him coming off a trip to the Stanley Cup Final with the Vegas Golden Knights, and how he can use that experience to help his new young team.
“Being so close, it really drives you. You want to get back there again really badly,” Smith said. “I had a little bit of that taste of success in the playoffs. That’s something that’s going to keep driving me forward to want to get back there.”
Being a strong and physical player is what drew the Blackhawks to Smith. They have been easy to play against in recent years, and now they have a handful of players who can help change that narrative.
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Smith was a big part of Vegas’ fourth line for that reason, and they were a key contributor to the team’s overall success.
“There are a lot of good players in the NHL and AHL,” Smith said. “Finding a part of your game that will make you stick is very important. I’ve been able to find that and stay consistent. “That’s how I’ve been able to stick and sign contracts in the NHL.”
There was a bit of a personal touch to this conversation for Cole Smith, too, including a chat about his time with the Chicago Wolves. Besides playing against the Blackhawks at the United Center, however, he has never explored the city. He plans on doing that a lot more once he finds a house in town and arrives on a full-time basis.
Smith has mostly signed short-term deals in the NHL up to this point. Three years isn’t a huge contract by any means, but he is happy to settle down and have a bit of stability for a while.
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In the middle of all this, before coming to Chicago to stay, he and his fiancée are going to get married in Nashville. That will be part of what Smith describes as a “busy” summer that will consist of packing up in both Minnesota and Nashville, along with the aforementioned wedding, before moving it all to Illinois.
Landing an NHL free agent isn’t just a team going out and signing a guy. The player has to agree to it. Smith saw things in the organization that helped him believe in the future of the club.
“You can tell they have high-end offense,” Smith said of the team on the ice. “They take little plays and put it in the back of the net. You can tell playing against them that they are a young team and susceptible to some things. That young offense is very striking. As far as wanting to sign there, what stood out to me is how much they wanted me to be a part of their group. They made me feel special. They really wanted to get me in on that third or fourth line.”
At 30 years old, Cole Smith is far from being “old”, but he is much older than most of the group he will share a locker room with. He believes in “leading by example” but admitted that he will say something if it needs to be said, which is exactly the type of veteran presence that the Blackhawks need right now.
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It sounds like, for a variety of reasons, Smith is eager to get to Chicago so he can help the Blackhawks take a step in their rebuild. They have sorely missed depth at forward for a long time, and now they have a little more.
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