Bryan Smolinski
Bryan Smolinski was drafted 21st overall in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins. After his rookie season in 1993-1994, he was traded in the summer of 1995 alongside Glen Murray to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Kevin Stevens and Shawn McEachern. After the 1995-1996 season Smolinski and the Penguins could not agree on a new contract, so he sat out the start of the next season and played for the Detroit Vipers of the IHL. In November, General Manager Mike Milbury of the New York Islanders traded defenceman Darius Kasparaitis and rookie Andreas Johansson for the rights to Smolinski.
Smolinski played three seasons for the Islanders. In June 1999, he was part of an eight player trade that saw him, Zigmund Palffy, goaltender Marcel Cousineau, and 4th round selection previously acquired from the New Jersey Devils traded to the Los Angeles Kings for Olli Jokinen, Josh Green, Mathieu Biron, and a first-round selection. Smolinski played four seasons for the Kings, before being traded to the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline for defence prospect Tim Gleason in March 2003.
In July of 2006, Smolinski was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in a three-way deal with the Senators and San Jose Sharks. However, his tenure with Chicago did not last long, as he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in February of 2007 for a conditional second round draft pick. In July of 2007, he Smolinski signed year contract with the Montreal Canadiens.
Smolinski, as you can see, is a bit of a journeyman. He brings personality into the room along with a fairly well-rounded skill set. Smolinski is comfortable in a second-to-third line center role and plays well as a two-way pivot. He tends to hover around the 20-goal mark.
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