The Buffalo Sabres announced on Monday that the team has signed forward Dalton Smith to a contract for the remainder of the 2019-20 season worth the league-minimum of $700,000.
We have signed forward Dalton Smith to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700,000.Details: https://t.co/1djRISPVBt pic.twitter.com/weAfqLdevl
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) December 30, 2019
Smith has spent the last three seasons with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League, playing primarily as a bottom-six depth winger. In 114 games with the Amerks, the 27-year-old has scored four goals and amassed 10 assists for 14 points, as well as 240 minutes in penalties.
So far this season in Rochester, Smith has a goal and three assists in 21 games to go along with a plus-5 rating and 27 penalty minutes.
Smith has yet to play in a National Hockey League game in his eight-year career after being drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second round (34th overall) in the 2010 NHL Draft. In 400 professional hockey games between the AHL and the East Coast Hockey League, Smith has 36 goals, 41 assists, and 799 penalty minutes.
He will wear No. 67 with the Sabres.
At practice on Monday, Smith was skating on the left wing on a line with Curtis Lazar and Evan Rodrigues. Here is how the lines looked at practice:
Olofsson - Eichel - Reinhart
Girgensons - Larsson - Okposo
Johansson - Asplund - Sheary
Smith - Lazar - Rodrigues
McCabe - Ristolainen
Dahlin - Montour
Scandella - Jokiharju
Bogosian - Miller
Jimmy Vesey was rotating in as an extra skater, which is a likely indication that he will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning at KeyBank Center.
The Sabres will have a team meeting before Tuesday night's matchup with the Lightning. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. on WGR with the Paul William Beltz Pregame Show set for 6 p.m. with Schopp and the Bulldog at (716) Food and Sport.
