TORONTO – In perhaps the most roundabout way possible, Ben Smith is once again a Toronto Maple Leaf.

Picked up at last season’s trade deadline from San Jose, Smith had a 16-game stint with the Maple Leafs but wasn’t re-signed in the off-season. He inked a one-year pact with the Colorado Avalanche instead, but that union ended on Sunday when the centre was placed on waivers after four games and scooped up by none other than the Maple Leafs.

“This is my seventh year pro. I’ve learned not to question, not to hope, not to wish for anything,” Smith said Tuesday. “You just work every day and whatever happens, happens. I got a bounce yesterday. Toronto picked me up. You don’t really ask how or why, you just show up and play well and show what you can do.”

Smith has 201 NHL contests to his name with four different franchises (and time with three different American League Hockey affiliates along the way), so he knows a thing or two about taking life as it comes. Despite the brevity of his stay with the Avalanche, the chance to return to his hometown Maple Leafs was his best possible outcome.

“I really enjoyed my time with Colorado. Unfortunately, I was put on waivers and fortunately for me I’m here,” Smith said. “I’ve very excited. It was a great surprise. I really enjoyed my time last year, so to be back and have a chance to help these guys and have some familiar faces, it’s always nice.”

To make room for Smith, Toronto waived 31-year-old veteran winger Milan Michalek. Already the youngest team in the NHL this season, the addition of 28-year-old Smith makes the Leafs younger still.

Toronto has already sent veteran forwards Colin Greening and Brooks Laich to the Marlies, and after clearing waivers on Tuesday, Michalek is primed to join them. However it looks from the outside, head coach Mike Babcock cautioned not to read too much into the move.

“I wasn’t trying to send any message to the fans or anybody,” Babcock said of exchanging a veteran for a younger forward. “All we’re trying to do is put ourselves in the best situation to have success. We felt we needed a face-off guy on our penalty kill. We’ve had Smitty here before. We trusted him, his contract was right for this. He’s a really good pro, he does it right every day.”

At morning skate ahead of Tuesday night’s contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Smith (wearing Michalek’s old No. 18) was centering the fourth line with Peter Holland and Matt Martin. Having also spent 15 games with the Toronto Marlies on a Calder Cup Playoff run after the Maple Leafs’ season ended in April, Smith is fairly familiar with Toronto’s youth. And even though a return to the team didn’t come to fruition in the summer, Smith has no ill will.

“It didn’t work out [then], but here I am in October back here. I’m just trying to enjoy it,” he said. “I always hoped to be back here. You never know what’s going to happen.”

 Morning skate notes

- For the first time at a morning skate or practice this season, defenceman Morgan Rielly and Nikita Zaitsev were skating together. Babcock had originally kept the two apart, preferring Zaitsev play with veteran Matt Hunwick. But when Rielly’s usual partner Martin Marincin missed time with an injury, it shook the pairings up and Babcock appears not to have settled on anything just yet. Marincin was a healthy scratch Saturday, while Rielly played with Connor Carrick. Judging by the morning skate, Marincin will be a scratch again on Tuesday. With Zaitsev, Rielly can play his natural left side, which he conceded does feel more comfortable, even though he’s willing to play either.

- Connor Brown will play his first game with new linemates Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov, after Smith’s addition required some shuffling. It’s been a slower start to the season for Kadri and Komarov than expected, and the addition of Brown in Michalek’s old spot will add some definite pace to that line. Previously on the fourth line, Brown hasn’t had as big an opportunity to use all his offensive tools thus far, but a move up the depth chart should help with that.

- Babcock’s exchange with a reporter at his morning press conference about the Frederik Andersen had the Internet abuzz. Pressed about Don Cherry’s comment on Saturday about Andersen being “lousy.” Babcock’s response was about as animated as the coach has been all season. It’s been a tough go early on for the netminder after he signed a five-year extension in the offseason, and the back-and-forth clearly showed that if there is any concern about Andersen within the organization, they have no intention of letting it be known publicly.