Red Wings' Craig Smith: Swapped in three-player deal
Rotowire
Smith and netminder Petr Mrazek were traded to Detroit from Chicago on Friday in exchange for Joe Veleno.
Smith has put up decent numbers with the Hawks this season, tallying nine goals and seven helpers in 40 games. Gone are the days of the 35-year-old winger putting up 50-plus points a season, but he should still be capable of reaching the 20-point threshold for the second straight year while filling a bottom-six role.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Pots goal Wednesday
Rotowire
Smith scored a goal and added four hits in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Senators.
Smith has found a little bit of a groove with three goals and two assists over his last eight games. While he remains on the fourth line, he's also seen some power-play time during this stretch, which follows his return from a back injury Feb. 5. The 35-year-old is at 16 points, 74 shots on net, 30 hits, 20 blocked shots and a minus-7 rating over 40 appearances. Smith is on an affordable $1 million contract this season, and while Ryan Donato is the biggest trade target in Chicago, Smith is a veteran depth forward who could also be on the move before Friday's deadline.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Helpers in back-to-back games
Rotowire
Smith logged an assist and two shots on goal in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Ducks.
Smith briefly left the contest in the third period, but he was able to return, ending with 10:56 of ice time. The winger has two goals and two helpers over his last four outings. For the season, he's up to 15 points, 73 shots on net, 26 hits, 28 PIM and a minus-8 rating through 38 appearances in a fourth-line role. His limited usage leads to little fantasy value, so most managers can look elsewhere for a depth forward.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Posts helper Thursday
Rotowire
Smith logged an assist in Thursday's 7-5 loss to the Golden Knights.
Smith has two goals and an assist over seven games since he returned from a back injury. The 35-year-old winger is firmly in a fourth-line role for the Blackhawks, so his chances to contribute on offense will be limited. He's up to 14 points, 71 shots on net and a minus-9 rating across 37 appearances this season, which is a better per-game pace than last season when he had 20 points over 75 regular-season games with the Stars.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Nets goal Saturday
Rotowire
Smith tallied a goal on five shots in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Blue Jackets.
Smith lit the lamp early on in the second period for Chicago's lone goal of the night. The 35-year-old winger is up to eight goals, 13 points and 70 shots on net in 34 games this season. Smith has goals in back-to-back games dating back to Feb. 8 before the 4 Nations Face-Off break. He remains in a fourth-line role on the right wing for the Blackhawks.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Tallies in shootout loss
Rotowire
Smith scored a goal on two shots in Saturday's 6-5 shootout loss to the Blues.
The goal was Smith's first point in three games since he returned from a back injury. The 35-year-old winger has resumed playing on the Blackhawks' fourth line, so it's unlikely he'll find consistent offense moving forward. He has seven goals, five assists, 65 shots on net, 24 PIM and a minus-7 rating through 33 appearances this season.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Ready to return
Rotowire
Smith (back) is set to be activated off injured reserve and play Wednesday against Edmonton, per Scott Powers of The Athletic.
Smith hasn't played since Jan. 8 due to the injury. He has six goals and 11 points in 30 appearances in 2024-25. He'll likely serve in a bottom-six capacity, and Colton Dach might be a healthy scratch after dressing in Chicago's past two games.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Placed on IR
Rotowire
Smith (back) was designated for injured reserve Thursday.
Smith has already been out of action for the Hawks' last six games due to his back injury. With the decision to put the veteran winger on injured reserve, he almost certainly won't be in the lineup against the Lightning on Friday. In a corresponding move, Ethan Del Mastro was elevated from AHL Rockford and could be an option to face Tampa.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Remains unavailable
Rotowire
Smith (back) won't play against Vegas on Saturday, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Smith will miss his fifth straight game and probably won't be available for Monday's matchup versus Carolina because he hasn't been skating. He has recorded six goals and 11 points in 30 appearances this season.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Still out Thursday
Rotowire
Smith (back) is set to miss Thursday's tilt against Nashville, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Smith also missed the Blackhawks' previous three games. He has six goals and 11 points in 30 outings in 2024-25. His next chance to return will come Saturday versus Vegas.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Set to miss out Monday
Rotowire
Smith (back) is not expected to be available against the Flames on Monday, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio reports.
Smith will be shelved for his third consecutive contest due to his recurring back problem. Even when healthy, the veteran winger has managed just 11 points in 30 appearances and may fail to get over the 30-point threshold for the third straight year.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Still day-to-day
Rotowire
Smith (back) is day-to-day and won't play versus Edmonton on Saturday, per Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio.
Smith will miss his second straight game. He has registered six goals, 11 points and 62 shots on net in 30 appearances this season. Lukas Reichel will replace Philipp Kurashev in Saturday's lineup.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Won't play against Wings
Rotowire
Smith (back) will not be in the lineup versus Detroit on Friday, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Smith previously missed eight games with a back injury and seems to be dealing with the same issue once again. When healthy, the veteran forward has offered decent offensive upside with 11 points in 30 outings, while chipping in 62 shots on net. With Smith on the shelf, Patrick Maroon looks set to return after being a healthy scratch the previous time out.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Misses practice Thursday
Rotowire
Smith missed practice Thursday due to a back injury, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio reports.
Smith missed nine games a month ago with back woes and it could be a recurrence of that injury. Smith has six goals and 11 points in 30 games this season and should be considered questionable for Friday's tilt in Detroit. Should Smith be unable to go, look for Philipp Kurashev to draw back into the lineup.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Picks up assist
Rotowire
Smith logged an assist in Friday's 4-2 win over the Canadiens.
This was Smith's second game since returning from a back injury that cost him eight contests. He's resumed his usual fourth-line role, so he'll have minimal upside in fantasy. For the season, the 35-year-old winger is at 11 points, 56 shots on net, 20 PIM and a minus-4 rating over 28 appearances.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Placed on injured reserve
Rotowire
The Blackhawks put Smith (back) on injured reserve Friday, retroactive to Dec. 12, according to Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio.
Smith has missed the last four games with the injury. He has six goals and 10 points in 26 games with Chicago this season. Consider Smith day-to-day at this time since he's already missed the required number of games to be activated whenever cleared to play.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Out Thursday
Rotowire
Smith (back) isn't available for Thursday's tilt against Seattle, per Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio.
Smith is set to miss his fourth consecutive game. He has six goals, 10 points, 20 PIM, 18 hits and 15 blocks in 26 outings this season. Smith's next chance to return will come Saturday versus Calgary.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Still out Tuesday
Rotowire
Smith (back) will not play Tuesday versus the Capitals, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Smith is set for a fourth straight absence due to the injury. The winger's next chance to play is Thursday versus the Kraken. If he can't return for that game, it's unclear if Smith will travel with the Blackhawks when they begin a road trip in Calgary on Saturday.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Unlikely to play Sunday
Rotowire
Smith (back) is unlikely to suit up Sunday against the Islanders, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio reports.
Smith appears in line to miss a third straight game as he continues to nurse a back issue. Joey Anderson figures to enter the lineup Sunday with Frank Nazar remaining on Chicago's second line.
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Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Not playing Saturday
Rotowire
Smith (back) won't play Saturday against New Jersey, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Smith also missed Monday's 2-1 win over the Rangers and left Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Islanders early due to the issue. He has produced six goals, four assists and 52 shots on net across 26 appearances this season. Frank Nazar will replace Smith in Saturday's lineup.
