Ex-Devils' Defenseman Returns to NHL Against Former Team

The New Jersey Devils saw a familiar face on the opposite side of the ice Saturday night at Lenovo Center in their 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

In their lineup was defenseman Ty Smith, whom New Jersey selected 17th overall in the 2018 NHL draft.

With defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere out with an upper-body injury, Smith made his long-awaited Hurricanes debut, appearing in his first NHL game since Jan 18, 2023.

Paired with Sean Walker, Smith played a team-leading 7:29 in the first period, including a full two minutes quarterbacking the Hurricanes power play.

Through three periods, Smith played 16:23, with 5:28 being on the man advantage. He finished the game with one shot on goal, two blocked shots, and one hit.

"He hasn't played a game with us all year, had him kind of bouncing around with roster stuff." Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "He has got a great attitude. I think guys really root for him because he has been real positive around here. [..] He stepped in really well."

It is unclear how long Smith's NHL stint will be as there are no updates on Gostisbehere, who will be re-evaluated on Sunday.

Smith appeared in 114 games with the Devils over two seasons. He finished his tenure in New Jersey with seven goals and 43 points.

On July 16, 2022, the organization traded him and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman John Marino. In March 2024, he was traded to the Hurricanes with Jake Guentzel for Michael Bunting, Vasily Ponomarev, Ville Koivunen, Cruz Lucius, a conditional first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2024.

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