When Nashville Predators’ team practice concluded on Thursday (Jan. 25), the players didn’t head straight to the locker room. Instead, they formed a circle at center ice, as Cole Smith skated a lap around them to the tune of cheers and thunderous stick taps. There was cause to celebrate, after all – general manager Barry Trotz announced on Wednesday that the Predators had signed the 28-year-old forward to a two-year, $2 million contract that will begin in the 2024-25 season.
The $2 million man pic.twitter.com/7lSnvZ5BoA
— Emma Lingan (@emma_lingan) January 24, 2024
“We’re really happy for him,” teammate Luke Evangelista said of Smith. “He works really hard. He’s a great guy to be around, the kind of guy you want to be teammates with.”
Smith, who has established a career-high in goals (five) and, with 13 assists and 17 points, is on pace to top his previous best marks in both categories through 47 games this season. He also ranks second on the Predators and tied for 11th in the NHL in hits (119) and leads Nashville forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:19) while adding three points (one goal and two assists) on the penalty kill. The hard-hitting winger also has two multi-goal games this season and recorded a career-best five-game point streak from Dec. 12 to Dec. 21 (one goal and four assists).
Smith’s Path to the NHL
Smith’s journey to the Predators’ nightly lineup has been an unconventional one. Undrafted, he signed with Nashville in 2020 following a four-year career at the University of North Dakota. He had a brief stint with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades before making his NHL debut on Jan. 14, 2021, with the Predators against the Columbus Blue Jackets. During the COVID-shortened season, he had five goals and ten points in 23 games with the American Hockey League (AHL)’s Chicago Wolves.
“I’ve obviously taken a different path,” Smith said. “I look back, and I think I’ve earned almost everything I’ve gotten. It’s something I’m proud of, being able to work hard and kind of prove people wrong, and that never ends. You’re proving people wrong, but you’re also proving yourself right at the same time.”
Smith didn’t have a point in nine NHL games with Nashville from 2020-22, spending the majority of those two seasons with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. The 2022-23 season, however, saw him become a regular in the Predators lineup; after making the NHL squad out of training camp, he finished the season with 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) and 60 penalty minutes in 69 games.
“I’m not going to lie,” Smith said. “Last year during training camp and the first half of the season was a pretty big mental battle for me, just showing up every day. But no matter how comfortable you are, you’ve got to earn your position in this league. Nothing’s given. So I think that’s something I’ve always brought with me through my life, just working hard.”
Smith’s Value as a Depth Forward
Smith entered the 2023 offseason with the comfort of knowing the Predators had already signed him to a one-year, $775,000 contract for the 2023-24 season. Still, his strong work ethic didn’t take the summer off. He returned to his newly constructed home in his native Minnesota, where he had added a spare garage with a shooting room so he could continue to work on finding the back of the net.
“He’s probably the hardest-working guy that I’ve really ever been around,” said Tommy Novak, Smith’s teammate and roommate in Nashville. “The dedication he puts into his body and his craft is pretty remarkable.”
Smith may not be a volume goal scorer, but his game-changing contributions can be found elsewhere on the ice.
“His tenacity and hunting pucks really helps guys like me and [Evangelista],” said Novak, who regularly played on a line with Smith and Evangelista throughout the first half of the season. “You just get so many pucks back. He’s so hard on the forecheck, a really disruptive player, and creates a lot of turnovers.”
Smith is physical. He’s relentless. He’s dedicated. He’s the consummate depth forward and the consummate teammate.
“It’s not an easy role,” Evangelista said of Smith’s play. “He hits anything that moves. He’s first on pucks. He forechecks and backchecks like a maniac out there. He plays a really important role on this team.”
Smith’s game has blossomed this season under first-year head coach Andrew Brunette, whose offensive system rests on the twin pillars of persistent puck possession and high shot volume. Trotz and Brunette have echoed one another throughout the season in saying that being hard to play against is a key element of “the Predator way,” and Smith is easily one of Nashville’s hardest players to play against as an opposing forward.
“I love his relentlessness on the puck,” Brunette said. “He hounds pucks, which I appreciate. It’s something that’s [part of] our identity and how we want to play. He fits that mold. He doesn’t stop working, and it’s hard not to like him.”
Two More Years of Smith
It was only fitting that the Predators would play their first game after Smith’s contract extension was announced in his home state of Minnesota, with upwards of 40 family members and friends in attendance. It was a timely homecoming for Smith and a full-circle moment to celebrate how far his relentless work ethic has taken him in the game of hockey.
“It’s extremely rewarding,” Smith said. “I’m proud of the journey I took to get here.”
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While $2 million may seem relatively insignificant, the impact of this extension goes far beyond the dollar value for both player and team. In signing Smith to a team-friendly contract, the Predators organization has rewarded him with tenure and security as one of just four forwards under contract with the team beyond the 2024-25 season.
“Nashville just kind of feels like home,” Smith said. “I’m extremely happy to be here for another two years… It definitely means a lot (that the team wanted me back). You can always get the one-year [contract], but the extra year – the two years – means a lot that the organization has faith in you, and that can go a long way.”
