Dubas makes shocking move, places Penguins' top prospect on waivers

This just in, the Pittsburgh Penguins have placed 23 year old defenseman Ty Smith on waivers.

Smith, a former 1st round pick (17th overall in 2018), was acquired by the Penguins from the New Jersey Devils last offseason in a trade involving defenseman John Marino. For what it's worth, Marino was underwhelming during his first season with the Devils but he's still a top four defenseman on a strong D corps in New Jersey. As for Smith, well he spent the majority of last season with the Penguins' AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins where he put up 24 points in 39 games. He put up a further four points in nine games with the NHL's Penguins. But, evidently that wasn't enough as new Gm Kyle Dubas has elected to place Smith on waivers. It's worth mentioning that Dubas did NOT acquire Smith himself, that trade was consummated by former Penguins GM Ron Hextall. 

As it stands, it looks like the Penguins will roll with a D corps that features Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Ryan Graves, Marcus Pettersson, P.O. Joseph and Chad Ruhwedel.

As for Smith, we'll find out this time tomorrow if a team decides to pick him up. Honestly, I can't see Smith passing through waivers unclaimed. He has the pedigree of a 1st round pick and the point production at just about every level to back it up. He's just 23 years old and if given the right opportunity he could blossom into a quality NHL defenseman. Stay tuned.