Craig Smith looks to build off strong first year with Bruins

Craig Smith was given a terrific opportunity last season when he was placed on a line with center David Krejci and left wing Taylor Hall and he did not let it slip through his fingers.

Signed after nine seasons in Nashville, Smith filled the role of a worker bee perfectly, allowing the elite skill levels of Krejci and Hall to flourish down the stretch after Hall was obtained in a deadline deal.

With Krejci back home in Czech Republic, the B’s are searching for the right man to be the second-line center behind Patrice Bergeron to play with Hall and Smith, who was among the 20-plus returning and hopeful Bruins to participate in Monday’s captain’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena. It is expected that Charlie Coyle will get the first crack at the job and, given his experience, will surely get a long look there. That would mean that Smith would be back with the pivot with whom he started last season. That would be just fine with the Wisconsin native.

“I thought it was good,” said Smith of his initial work with Coyle. “Coming in last year, I didn’t have too many expectations of where I was going to be, but things tend to work themselves out. I had some chemistry with him. It was me, him and (Trent) Frederic there for a big stint and I had fun. He’s an excellent puck protector and creates space. He’s a big body and kind of a jack of all trades. He’s definitely a guy that can step in there.”

While there’s a wait-and-see feel to this Bruins team with so many new additions, that would not have been the case had Krejci decided to return to Boston. Had he come back, the B’s would have boasted as good a top six as any team in the league. Maybe it still will be with Coyle, Jack Studnicka or whoever takes over that spot. But Smith is well aware of what a special chance it was to play with Krejci and Hall, however fleeting it was.

“I had such a fun time playing with Krech,” said Smith, who had 13-19-32 totals and a plus-21 rating in 54 games last year. “He’s an amazing player and one of the best passers that I’ve ever played with. I’m extremely grateful that I was able to play with him last year and get to know him. I played against him a number of years. It was an honor to get to know him and his family a little bit for a short time and made the best of it.”

While it’s expected Smith will skate on the Hall line again, the 32-year-old veteran has learned not to take anything for granted.

“I’d be extremely grateful to play with (Hall and Coyle) again,” said Smith. “Taylor Hall’s a special player. We saw it at the end of last year and what he can do and the magic that he can make on the ice. He’s an excellent player. Playing against him for a number of years, he was a guy that I always watched sitting on the bench and I always thought that he could create a lot of cool moments on the ice and do a lot of things. To get to play with him was awesome. Same thing (as Coyle). Jack of all trades. You look for the pass, he’s got a great shot, heavy on the puck. He’s an excellent player.”

GM Don Sweeney has a checkered history in his free agent signings. Most of his successes have come with bottom six forwards like Riley Nash, Tim Schaller and Joakim Nordstrom while higher-profile signings Matt Beleskey and David Backes did not finish out their contracts in Bruin uniforms. But the Smith signing may have exceeded expectations with the way the ever-churning winger was able to jump into the top six at the relatively low cost of $3.1 million annually for three years.

Despite team-bonding opportunities relatively scarce because of COVID-19 protocols and restrictions last season, Smith was able to weave himself into the B’s team fabric.

Asked if there was anything he came to appreciate about Smith that he didn’t know about him as an opponent, captain Patrice Bergeron noted “the intangibles.”

“The way that he approaches the game, the way that he competes on every shift,” said Bergeron. “He’s got a great stick to retrieve pucks and great instincts, too. He shoots the puck when it’s time to and tries to make plays when it’s time to as well. And off the ice, the way that he carries himself. A great guy to be around. Guys love him as a person. He’s got a great personality and great locker room (presence). He’s been a great addition to our club.”

And Smith, for one, is hoping for his second year with the B’s to be closer to normal than his first.

“It’s going to be a fresh year coming in and not having to worry about a lot of things,” he said. “Last year, there were a lot of things on the table to work through as a team unit, as an organization and as a staff. It was a collective effort done by everybody to make sure everything worked last year. It’s nice to have some of those things out of the way and you don’t have to worry about them and now you just have to worry about playing hockey.”