New York Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith has cleared waivers and will now be assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL, according to multiple reports.

Smith was placed on waivers on Thursday after struggling this season, producing one goal and eight points in 44 games.

"Everybody that's followed him since he's been here, there's no doubt that he has played better for us in the past, and this year he got off to a slow start. We worked with him in a number of different ways, and he seemed to be having a hard time to find his game, so at the end of the day, this might be a little bit drastic here, but coaches and management felt that this was the way to go for our team right now," head coach Alain Vigneault said on Thursday, according to Newsday's Steve Zipay.

Smith getting assigned to the Rangers' affiliate means the club will now be able to bury $1.025 million of his $4.35-million cap charge in the minors, according to Zipay.

The 29-year-old inked a four-year, $17.4-million contract with the Rangers this past offseason after being acquired from the Detroit Red Wings last February.

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