Blueshirts’ Smith ready to redeem himself

David Quinn and Brendan Smith have a relationship that dates back more than a decade, to when the then-Boston University assistant coach was personally trying to recruit the defenseman out of Toronto, who as a 16-year-old was deciding a) whether to go the OHL route or college route to the pros; and then, b) which school to attend.

“I don’t think I’ve ever told Quinny this, but BU was probably my second choice,” Smith, who did just fine by going to Wisconsin, said Sunday.

“Yeah, I think that’s what all the recruits say,” Quinn, laughing, said later.

The pre-existing bond between the men, who assiduously checked in with one another when Smith played for Grand Rapids and Quinn coached Lake Erie in the AHL, had to have been more than somewhat comforting to No. 42 as he approached training camp and a shot at redemption. Yes? Well, maybe no. “To the extent that we had familiarity with one another, I guess, but it wasn’t a major factor as I approached this,” Smith said. “To be honest, it wasn’t as much coach Quinn being here as the fact that any change would have benefited me.”

There is no need to recite the particulars. Smith played as if an imposter wore his skates through much of 2017-18 that included stretches of healthy scratches — beginning with Game 3— and an earned February demotion to the AHL. The beauty, though, is that Smith put 2017-18 into his rear-view mirror the minute the season ended. His offseason work formed the foundation off of which he clearly earned not only a roster spot, but a top-four assignment partnering with Kevin Shattenkirk to start the season.

It is 2018-19. That is what counts for Smith, Quinn and the Rangers. Last year is gone.

“Everyone here is motivated to be the best teammate and player they can be,” Smith said. “For me, there’s also the motivation to prove to not only everybody else, but myself, that I’m not only back to myself, but my best self, where I can be a strong top-four, if not even better.”

Management and coaching staff are deciding whether to go with three full-time alternate captains or four (two at home, two on the road). Marc Staal and Mats Zuccarello are the incumbent letter wearers. Jesper Fast, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Shattenkirk, Adam McQuaid and Brady Skjei are contenders.