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“That’s the iron in the fire,” said Smyth. “We’ve had some talks about it.

“I’d like to zero in on three or four guys (minor-leaguers or drafted players) and really pay attention to them … get to know them well,” said Smyth, 40. “Speaking to other player development people and presidents on other NHL teams, it’s intriguing to me how they do their things.”

“Instead of one guy going to see all their prospects (minor-league or drafted juniors) maybe twice a season, you could pick three or four guys … and just look after them. That would be cool,” he said.

“I know the junior ranks. I know the minors. I was down there. I obviously had a long NHL career. I believe I could offer some assistance,” he said.

“One thing I’ve thought of is working with injured players as they try to come back. They go through the medical stuff getting that done, then they go to the trainer to work on things, but then there’s the on-ice time where they aren’t around the team. That’s where I’d like to help. I’ve been injured before and doctors will tell you it’s 90 per cent mental and 10 per cent physical after that,” he said.

“There’s only one (Connor) McDavid in the world who can do what he did and come back like he did,” he said, refering to McDavid’s broken collarbone. “Pretty impressive. Usually it takes a full year to heal mentally.”

One player Smyth could definitely work with is winger Mitch Moroz, who has been spinning his wheels for the first two years of pro in the minors. He’s had some injury concerns but he has 19 points in 109 games over two years. He hasn’t grasped what kind of player he has to be. He needs some confidence and a tutorial from a player like Smyth.