Thursday: The team has announced the contract. It is a two-year, entry-level deal for Smith.
Wednesday: According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Buffalo Sabres are about to make a splash in the college free agent sweepstakes. Friedman is hearing that C.J. Smith out of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell will sign with the team shortly. No details on the deal have been released yet. Just yesterday Smith’s teammate Joseph Gambardella signed with the Edmonton Oilers,and we mentioned Smith as a possible signing next season if he didn’t leave school early. He apparently has decided to turn pro after his junior season, and is an exciting signing for the Sabres.
Blessed with exceptional speed and acceleration, Smith is extremely dangerous off the rush and in the offensive zone. His 51 points in 41 games sat just one behind the older Gambardella for the River Hawks lead, and he looks poised to create scoring chances at the next level. One of his strongest attributes is his quick release, able to get the puck off in traffic with enough power to beat goaltenders.
His biggest obstacle at the next level will be adjusting his game to defenders who he can’t beat with foot speed alone, and improving his ability to retrieve pucks in the offensive zone. While he should provide ample offense at the AHL level, that same creativity might not be possible in the NHL, and he’ll have to find new ways to help his team. Despite all that, he represents a very intriguing option for the Sabres as soon as next season and should push for a job at camp.
He’ll have to try and fight his way through some more established names on the left side, with Evander Kane, Marcus Foligno and William Carrier all established there for the immediate future. Even if he were to try and crack the lineup on his off-wing, he’ll have Alex Nylander to deal with next season. Once he signs, he’ll likely jump onto a Rochester Americans team that isn’t headed for the Calder Cup playoffs and try to show he belongs in professional hockey.