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Rangers get Brendan Smith from Detroit

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The Rangers acquired defenseman Brendan Smith from the Red Wings in exchange for second and third round picks.

With Kevin Klein still dealing with back spasms and Dan Girardi expected to miss a couple of weeks with an ankle injury, the New York Rangers are reportedly in the process of acquiring defenseman Brendan Smith in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie says the return to the Wings will be a second-round draft pick in 2018 and a third-round pick in 2017.

Update: The deal is official.

Smith, 28, is a pending unrestricted free agent. A left shot who can play the right side, he has two goals and three assists in 33 games this season while averaging 18:44 of ice time.

He had hoped to re-sign with the Wings.

“Do I want to go to free agency? I would rather have a contract, to be honest,” Smith said Monday, per NHL.com. “I would like to know where I am because I think becoming a free agent is the unknown and that can kind of be scary at the same time.

“All I know is that I would like to have a good contract with the Wings and be around. We’re kind of starting to go through that process. If that works out, or whether [GM Ken Holland] is maybe looking to move myself or somebody else, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

The Rangers recalled defenseman Steven Kampfer from the AHL this morning. Kampfer will play tonight against Washington, slotting in behind Nick Holden and Adam Clendening on the right side.