im really leaning more and more towards what RB has been pumping. take a step back...trade some pieces, and reload with kids.
Trade Nash next. Dump Staal...go with kids.
That is what they should be doing imo, but that does not necessarily preclude a Smith re-signing, if the contract is decent and does not have clauses which are that restrictive, it's an asset that is movable towards getting younger or more talented at some other future point.
All the same I still think this trade was always going to lead the Rangers to no mans land, Smith may not be good enough for this next contract and they gave up futures to put themselves in that position.
In a way it's similar to Girardi, they had to think they were buying him out, yet they still had to play him in nearly every single game he could possibly play in, that is not really forwards looking thinking as now they are even more forced to sign Smith or someone similar.
They did not develop any RD, so they could play G, just to buy him out.
They played Smith, just so they either sign him or lose those assets used on him for nothing.
All because I guess Clendening was not worth trying to develop even as a stop gap RD although not much of his on ice game showed anything to make that assumption.
