Tippett said Smith, who was injured in the third period of a 7-4 loss at the Ottawa Senators last Tuesday, is home in Arizona and will not be rejoining the Coyotes on their season-high six-game road trip, which concludes at the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
However, Tippett said the severity of Smith's injury isn't as significant as the Coyotes first thought. He is technically eligible to come off injured reserve Tuesday, but that seems unlikely at this point.
"He's in good spirits back home and we'll see where he's at next week," Tippett said. "I think he's still resting for a few more days and when we get back we'll re-evaluate. It's not bad, no."
Tippett couldn't give a timeline for when Smith could return, but he doesn't think it'll be long before he gets back on the ice.
"When he gets ready to play or not is another story," Tippett said.
