Complex sentence: Despite the 28 point turnaround, Smith's contract wasn't renewed and he would later re-surface as the director of hockey operations for the Chicago Blackhawks prior to being appointed the team's permanent GM a few weeks into the start of the 2000--01 season.
Split into simpler sentences: Despite the 28 point turnaround, Smith's contract wasn't renewed. He was promoted as the team's permanent general manager a few weeks into the start of the 2000--01 season.