He is what he is. A bottom pairing defenseman that can fill in the top 4 when needed. Useful to have as subbing in Smith or SOB in a top pairing for any extended amount of time would be a disaster.
Personally I feel he works well with Bodie and I think it may not be a bad idea to keep them together when Giordano comes back as pairings of;
Giordano - Smid
Russell - Wideman
Brodie - Butler
That looks a lot better than opening pairings at the start of the season although I feel the coaches will tinker with pairings once Gio is healthy to see where Smid fits best and maybe a Smid - Butler pairing can work.
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