The New York Rangers are reportedly holding forward Reilly Smith out of tonight’s game against the Nashville Predators for trade deadline reasons (as per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic). Smith is a pending UFA and given the Rangers current position in the standings it’s fair to assume he will be traded before Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline.
Smith was acquired by the Rangers last summer from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a second-round pick in 2027 and a conditional fifth round pick in 2025. The Penguins picked up $1.25MM of Smith’s $5MM salary in the trade, meaning that the 33-year-old is counting $3.75MM against the salary cap this season.
The former Stanley Cup Champion was terrific for the Vegas Golden Knights during their 2023 run to the title and has posted strong underlying numbers throughout his career. However, he has seen those numbers fall to career lows this season and has tallied just 10 goals and 19 assists in 58 games.
With the trade market being a seller’s market at the moment, it’s easy to see why the Rangers have been so active. New York is unlikely to make the playoffs and can ill afford to let free agents walk if they have any hopes of re-tooling next season.
Any team looking to acquire Smith will likely do so with a top nine role in mind for the 14-year NHL veteran. Smith is still capable of driving offense off the rush but is probably best suited for a role on the third line of a strong forward group. He can still take second line minutes in a pinch but probably shouldn’t be counted on to drive play for a Stanley Cup contender.