The Smith Situation

When I asked Darryl Smith what his status was after hearing the Bucks have re-signed him, he said, "If I knew, I would tell you."

Basically, Smith decided to fly into Laredo and skate with the Bucks after not getting offers from the AHL teams who were looking at him, but after he signed his contract, he started hearing from other teams again.

Having signed with the Bucks only contractually obligates Smith to play with them if he stays in the CHL, and Coach Ruskowski is very aware of the fact that Smith could be out the door within the week. Smith said he's keeping his bags packed until he knows for sure.

To make room for Smith on the 30-man training camp roster, the Bucks suspended Dustin Slade for the season. Seems Slade decided not to come to camp after blowing off several attempts at contact in the past few months, to there are only three goaltenders fighting for two roster spots at this point.

Though Smith is unsure of whether or not he'll be staying in Laredo, he seems more than willing to do so. His agent is the one dealing with other offers, so Smith might not find out he's leaving long before we do if he does.

Ruskowski was obviously thrilled to get the reigning CHL Rookie of the Year back, but he isn't trying to bank on having the center take one of his regular season roster spots and described his current situation as "limbo."

Here's what Coach Ruskowski told me about this whole ordeal:

"It's been an up and down situation. He's not coming, he is gonna come, he's not... well, he's come in now, and he'll be here for a while and he has a chance to go up. I'm just taking it day to day as it comes along. He's here now, he's a great kid, he works hard, he's been in major league camps all summer, all fall, and he just comes down and plays with everybody else. He's not one of those guys who says, 'Oh, I played in the AHL,' he blends in.

"He has a great attitude. He's going to be here, he's going to work hard for us. He signed a contract with us, so he's a Buck right now and he will be a Buck until he's not a Buck. If he has a chance to go up to a higher league, God bless him, that's what we're here for - to win and get players up to a higher league. If not, then he'll stay here in Laredo; that's where he wants to play."

And here's a bit of what Smith had to say:

"Right now, as of now, I'm skating with the team, and I'm prepared to start the year here. But if something does come up, which I'm really not sure if it will, it's kind of a tough situation. But as of right now, I'm playing for Laredo.

"Of course (I'm glad to be back). I had a great time here last year. It looks like we have a great group of guys in the room already this year; seems like the guys are already getting along great. That's the first step in the right direction."

I'll keep you updated on this situation as it progresses, but for now, how happy are you to have Smith back?