Player evaluation: Smyth

RYAN SMYTH
This season: 67 games, 22 goals, 31 assists, 42 penalty minutes, 19:40 average ice time.
The good: Smyth exceeded all reasonable expectations for himself, and his presence on the ice helped bring the best out of Anze Kopitar and propel Kopitar’s career year. Smyth’s ability and willingness to go to the front of the net and work for deflections and rebounds made a huge positive impact, and Smyth’s impact was greatly felt when he was out of the lineup with injury.
The bad: Smyth is 34 and plays a fearless game in which he is regularly in front of the net, deflecting pucks with various parts of his body, and also spends time trying to dig out pucks behind the net and in the corners. It’s an effective game, and an admirable one, but it also puts him at risk for injury, particularly as he ages. Smyth has missed 47 games over the past three seasons.
Going forward: The Kings have Smyth under contract for two more season. The salary-cap hit is significant ($6.25 million), but if Smyth can stay healthy and productive and help bring the same type of play out of Kopitar as he did this season, the Kings will consider it a worthy investment.