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Former Red Wings defenseman signs with divisional rival


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Julien Trekker
November 24, 2025  (4:00 PM)
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Feb 12, 2017; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith (2) during a game between the Minnesota Wild and Detroit Red Wings at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Red Wings 6-3.
Photo credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

A former Detroit Red Wings defenseman has officially signed a contract with a divisional rival of the organization.

The Columbus Blue Jackets lost 4-3 in overtime against the Detroit Red Wings during the weekend, falling to the sixth spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Only a few days later, the Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell confirmed that he signed a former member of the Wings.
Indeed, the Columbus Blue Jackets organization announced today that they have signed the former Detroit Red Wings veteran defenseman Brendan Smith to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2025-26 season.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Former Wings Defenseman Brendan Smith To One-Year Deal

The team confirmed the news in an official press release:
Smith, 36, is a left-handed defenseman from Ontario drafted 27th overall in 2007 by the Detroit Red Wings.
His professional hockey career started with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the 2010-11 season, where he played 152 games in three years.
He took part in his first NHL games during the 2011-12 season, where he scored seven points in 14 games with the Wings.
He remained in Detroit until being traded to the New York Rangers in the 2016-17 season.
Five years later, he left New York to join the Carolina Hurricanes before spending two years with the New Jersey Devils, and last season with the Dallas Stars.
In 726 regular-season games in the NHL, the six-foot-two, 200 lbs veteran tallied 39 goals and 105 assists, with 787 penalty minutes.
This season, he took part in 11 games for the Cleveland Monsters, where he scored an assist and tallied eight PIMs and a -5 rating.
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Former Red Wings defenseman signs with divisional rival

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