The Blue Jackets will take a close look at a veteran defenseman during training camp in September.
The team announced Aug. 19 that Brendan Smith , 36, will open camp in Columbus on a professional tryout offer. Smith, a left-handed shooter, has played parts of 14 NHL seasons and filled a depth role last season for the Dallas Stars .
Smith added one goal, five assists and six points with a -9 plus/minus and served 33 minutes in the penalty box during 32 games for the Stars. Should he make the Blue Jackets ' roster, Smith will fill a veteran depth role handled last season by Jack Johnson , who signed a PTO Aug. 11 with the Minnesota Wild .
Smith, who is 6 feet 2 and 200 pounds, plays a rugged style. He's logged 726 NHL games and compiled a career scoring line of 39-105-144 for the Detroit Red Wings , New York Rangers , New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes and Stars.
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets sign Brendan Smith to professional tryout offer

