Brendan Smith has three goals and nine points in 14 AHL games this season. Smith would have began the 2012-13 campaign with the Detroit Red Wings if not for the lockout. His situation is drawing comparisons to Niklas Kronwall, who back in 2004-05 was still just a promising, but NHL-ready defenseman trapped in the AHL due to the lockout. Kronwall ended up with 53 points in 76 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins that season and of course eventually established himself as one of the Red Wings' top defensemen. "He's playing very, very well," Red Wings GM Ken Holland said of Smith. "Absolutely, there's a comparison there to Nik Kronwall. Smith is matching up against the other team's best players. He's a power-play guy. You need to learn those situations, and it's good to learn in the AHL. We think the time he's spending there is going to lessen the growing pains in the NHL."