Let’s pour one out for the Givani Smith era, folks.
The Red Wings have sent Smith to the Florida Panthers in a three-way trade that also results in center Danny O’Regan coming to Detroit. The third part of the deal, Michael Del Zotto, moves from Florida to the Anaheim Ducks in the trade.
How you feel about Givani Smith leaving Detroit probably depends on what style of hockey you enjoy. On one hand, Smith was a nice physical presence who was also good for a big hit or a fight to fire up the crowd. On the other hand, his skillset didn’t exactly translate to the scoresheet. The Red Wings gave Smith plenty of chances to play his way into the Red Wings lineup, but his lack of scoring (just 14 points in 85 career NHL games) and the fact that other players were better in the defensive zone kept him from earning a full-time spot.
Danny O’Regan, apart from becoming the Red Wings’ most Irish-sounding player since Brendan Shanahan, will likely add some center depth to the Grand Rapids Griffins lineup. O’Regan is a former AHL All-Star who has 18 points in 27 games with the San Diego Gulls this season. He’s also a right-handed center with NHL experience (30 career games), something the Red Wings don’t have many of in their system, so he could be used for depth purposes if Detroit runs into injury issues up front.
