Derek Smith is sidelined with a high-ankle sprain, but he’s probably feeling quite a bit better today. The Calgary Flames handed the undrafted defenseman a two-year, $1.55 million contract extension on Wednesday.
It’s a one-way deal, which means that Smith will be paid the same amount even if he gets demoted to the minors. That must be music to his ears because Smith battled his way to a roster spot in training camp.
Smith has a respectable 10 points in the 32 games that haven’t been wrecked by injuries this season. Smith logged 16:40 minutes per game, with a little under 30 seconds of shorthanded time and a minute and a half of PP time on average.
Smith is 27 years old, which means that he straddles the line between what most people seem to want in Calgary (a rebuild) and the reality GM Jay Feaster is presenting (holding onto veterans while desperately hoping for a playoff run).