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Leafs sign veteran Smithson to AHL tryout

JerredSmithson

The Toronto Maple Leafs are kicking the tires on veteran NHLer Jerred Smithson by signing him to a tryout with the AHL Marlies, according to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos.

Smithson, 34, is a veteran of nearly 600 NHL contests and split last season between Florida and Edmonton. He was actually Edmonton’s trade deadline acquisition last year, coming aboard for the final 10 games of the campaign as the Oilers tried to make a playoff push.

(They failed.)

Technically, Smithson’s been a deadline pickup two years in a row -- in 2011-12, Florida acquired him from Nashville for its playoff push, and he proceeded to appear in five of the Panthers’ seven postseason games that spring.

He’s a good defensive forward and something of a faceoff specialist. Toronto is relatively thin in terms of center depth, so it’s possible he could get a look in the Leafs’ bottom six at some point this year.