A couple months after protecting Givani Smith in the expansion draft, Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings have re-signed the restricted free agent to a two-year contract, the club announced Tuesday.
Now it's up to Smith to crack Detroit's lineup.
A second-round pick in 2016, Smith is a hard-nosed forward whose best attribute is his physicality. He appeared in 16 games for the Wings last season, scoring one goal and four points. He also totaled 21 penalty minutes.
Smith, 23, won't have an easier path to playing time this season. Detroit only has a couple jobs on the wing up for grabs, and he'll be competing with highly-touted prospects like Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren in training camp.
But for at least the next two years, the Wings want to give him a shot. Let's see if Smith can grab it.
