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Reilly Smith

Rangers Acquire Reilly Smith From Penguins

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The Rangers are expected to acquire winger Reilly Smith in a trade with the Penguins, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Pittsburgh is receiving a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick in return, The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman reports. The teams confirmed the second-rounder is in 2027 and the fifth-rounder is a conditional 2025 selection. The Penguins are retaining 25% of Smith’s salary, bringing his cap hit down from $5MM to $3.75MM for New York. The conditional 2025 fifth-rounder will be the worse of the two picks New York owns in that round – theirs and the Wild’s.

The Penguins are moving on from Smith after just one season, having acquired him in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick during the 2023 NHL Draft. Smith went on to total 13 goals and 40 points, failing to translate his strong scoring upside to a shakier role with the Penguins. He was much more robust in Vegas; one of many players to see a breakout year in Vegas’ inaugural season, scoring 22 goals and 60 points in 67 games and adding 22 points in 20 postseason games. He held onto the scoring through his next five years with the Golden Knights, consistently rivaling 50-point pace and even twice topping 25 goals.

Smith has developed into a capable middle-six scorer, whose offense held up even amidst an inconsistent role in Pittsburgh. What’s better, he’s an unrestricted free agent next summer, giving the Rangers a chance to test out his roster fit before committing to him long-term. The Rangers have rotated through veteran scorers over the last few seasons, cycling in players like Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Blake Wheeler. Smith will be the latest iteration, set for the same role in the lineup as his predecessors.

But unlike those before him, Smith offers the perk of playoff consistency, having totaled 26 goals and 79 points across 106 postseason appearances, including 14 points in 22 games during Vegas’ 2023 Stanley Cup run. The Rangers have boasted some of the best offenses in the league over the last few seasons, only to fall short in the Eastern Conference Finals in both 2022 and 2024. A lack of goal-scoring depth has proven the fault both times, forcing New York to lean on, and quickly tire out, their stars.

Smith could also provide a good shot to match Alexis Lafreniere’s quick playmaking, with the pair likely bound for New York’s second line. Lafreniere was among the most polarizing Rangers late in the season, scoring eight goals and 14 points in 16 playoff games after netting a career-high 28 goals and 57 points in the regular season. Veteran additions like Smith could point towards New York’s investment in yet another young star, though that will ultimately sit with how Peter Laviolette chooses to deploy his top-six.

Metro Notes: Trouba, Smith, Jarry

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TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting that the New York Rangers are willing to retain up to $2.5MM per season if it helps them facilitate a trade for defenseman Jacob Trouba. The Rangers captain has two years remaining with a cap hit of $8MM annually and was reportedly shocked to find his name on the trading block and linked to the Detroit Red Wings.

Trouba’s play has fallen off in recent seasons and while he remains a physical presence on New York’s blueline, his lack of discipline and poor defensive work isn’t justifying his large cap hit. Trouba posted just three goals and 19 assists in 69 games last season and was a -4. While he has never been an analytics darling, Trouba’s CF% cratered last season to 47.2% at even strength.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • Josh Yohe of The Athletic is reporting that Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas remains open and willing to trade Reilly Smith but according to sources, the team has been unable to find a dance partner. Smith never settled into Pittsburgh after coming over in a trade from the Vegas Golden Knights for a third-round pick but did have a better second half of the season finishing with 13 goals and 27 assists in 76 games. Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas told the media on Friday that he hoped to collect draft picks and prospects this summer while maintaining a competitive NHL roster, but if that is the ask for Smith it’s difficult to see a team stepping up with that kind of offer until after free agent options have dried up.
  • Josh Yohe of The Athletic also spoke about Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry saying that Pittsburgh was willing to move the 29-year-old but weren’t able to find any interested parties. Jarry has four years left on his contract with a cap hit of $5.375MM and has struggled with consistency throughout his career, fading in the second half of several seasons in a row. A number of goaltenders have moved in recent days, but with Jarry’s spotty record and large financial commitment, it’s hard to imagine a team stepping up unless Pittsburgh is willing to retain a large portion of salary to facilitate a deal.

Penguins Notes: Pettersson, Jarry, Smith

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Rob Rossi of The Athletic is reporting that the Pittsburgh Penguins and defensemen Marcus Pettersson have a mutual interest in signing a contract extension this summer. The 28-year-old Pettersson has one year left on his five-year contract at a cap hit of $4.025MM and was arguably the Penguins’ most steady defender last year, playing big minutes with both Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson and elevating both players.

The Penguins acquired Pettersson back in December 2018 for forward Daniel Sprong and the Skelleftea, Sweden native quickly became a regular on the Penguins’ back end. Pettersson has never been much of an offensive contributor but did post four goals and 26 assists in 82 games last season while playing 22:40 a game and providing terrific work on the penalty kill.

Pettersson’s next contract is tough to project, but given his contributions of late, it’s not unrealistic to expect his AAV to fall in the range of $5.5MM to $6MM per season on a long-term deal.

In other Penguins notes:

  • Rob Rossi of The Athletic is reporting that Tristan Jarry can submit a new 12-team no-trade list to the Penguins on July 1st, which could complicate a potential trade if they don’t move him before that day. Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas would reportedly like to make a hockey trade for Jarry if he chooses to move him and wants to receive back a top-six winger or a top-four defenseman. According to Rossi, the Penguins aren’t in a rush to deal Jarry and are comfortable starting next season with him and recently re-signed Alex Nedeljkovic, as there is some debate about whether top goaltending prospect Joel Blomqvist is ready to take a role in the NHL next season.
  • The Penguins are hesitant to bring forward Reilly Smith back for the final season of his contract (as per Rossi). Pittsburgh management doesn’t believe that Smith was unhappy to be a Penguin, but reportedly hoped he would have an easier transition to the team after he came over in a trade from the Vegas Golden Knights. Smith recently changed agents and is now represented by Pat Brisson, who also represents teammate Sidney Crosby. Rossi believes that the Penguins will work with Brisson to determine the best situation for Smith and the team and act accordingly. If that course of action is a trade, then the Penguins will look to move Smith to a destination that suits him. The Penguins offered Smith up at the trade deadline but couldn’t find a dance partner at that time.  Smith has one year left on his contract at a $5MM cap hit.

Snapshots: Bobrovsky, Ekblad, Nugent-Hopkins, Smith

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Florida Panthers fans are breathing a big sigh of relief this morning, with both star defender Aaron Ekblad and Vezina-finalist goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky good to go after missing the team’s Sunday morning practice, per Colby Guy of Florida Hockey Now (Twitter link). Neither player were limited in the team’s Game 6 loss – with Bobrovsky facing 19 shots and Ekblad playing 21:37 in ice time – suggesting that their absences were merely for maintenance. Still, every update matters as the Panthers look to skid three straight losses in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Edmonton Oilers have outscored Florida 18-t0-5 over that stretch, with Bobrovsky posting a collective 0.793 save percentage. The Panthers will now return home for a winner-takes-all Game 7, seemingly still at full strength.

Other quick notes from around the league:

  • In the name of fairness, the Oilers are facing an injury scare of their own, with former-100 point forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins missing the team’s Sunday practice with illness, per Jim Matheson of NHL.com (Twitter link). Nugent-Hopkins has been one of Edmonton’s top contributors this postseason, recording 22 points in 24 playoff games. That includes two points in Edmonton’s three-game win-streak – so far his only scoring in the Stanley Cup Finals. Nugent-Hopkins would leave a major role vacant should he be unavailable for Game 7, though there’s been no indication that Edmonton is expecting him to sit.
  • Pittsburgh Penguins winger Reilly Smith has changed agencies ahead of the final year of his contract, now represented by CAA Hockey, per PuckPedia (Twitter link). CAA is the choice agency of many NHL stars, including Sidney Crosby, Matthew Beniers, Mathew Barzal, and Cole Caufield. It’s also the agency most akin to changing scenery – representing the recently-traded Pierre-Luc Dubois, rumored trade chip Rutger McGroarty, and hardened trade rumor veteran Jack Eichel. Smith takes on the new representation while looking to vindicate his final year at a $5MM price tag, though his 13 goals and 40 points last season fell short of expecations.

Penguins Notes: Pettersson, Nedeljkovic, Smith, Rakell, Bemstrom

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While Sidney Crosby’s potential for a contract extension will certainly dominate the offseason speculation in Pittsburgh, he’s not the only Penguins player of note who is eligible for a new deal.  Blueliner Marcus Pettersson will be entering the final year of his contract next season, making him eligible to sign an extension as of July 1st.

While many expect Crosby will sign quickly, Rob Rossi of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the team is optimistic that Pettersson will also put pen to paper on a new deal quickly this summer.  The 27-year-old is coming off his best season, one that saw him post career-highs offensively with four goals and 26 assists while also logging 22:40 per night, another benchmark that also put him third on the team in that regard.  Producing like and playing the minutes of a second-pairing defender should have Pettersson in line for a fairly sizable raise on his current $4.025MM price tag.

More from Pittsburgh:

  • Alex Nedeljkovic certainly played well down the stretch, playing a big role in their late push for a playoff spot. That performance may push him out of Pittsburgh altogether though as Rossi notes that the team is operating with the belief that the 28-year-old will get better offers in free agency than what the team can afford to offer.  That means that Tristan Jarry would return as the starter next season with prospect Joel Blomqvist potentially moving up from the minors to serve as the backup.  Nedeljkovic finished with 2.97 GAA and a .902 SV% in 38 games, positioning himself for a raise on the $1.5MM he received this season.
  • Still from Rossi, winger Reilly Smith wasn’t moved at the trade deadline with his market being thin due to having another year at a $5MM price point but the team believes there will be more interest this summer now that he’ll be a rental. The 33-year-old took a step back offensively in his first season with the Pens, going from 26 goals and 30 assists to 13 and 27 respectively, good for seventh in team scoring.  A capable two-way forward with over 100 playoff games under his belt, Smith should definitely have some suitors this summer but GM Kyle Dubas may need to retain salary to maximize the return for him.
  • One winger who struggled this year was Rickard Rakell who was limited to 15 goals and 22 assists in 70 games. If you take out the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign, this was Rakell’s lowest output since his first full NHL season back in 2014-15.  Speaking with SportExpressen’s Gunnar Nordstrom, the 30-year-old indicated that he had been playing through a shoulder injury going back to his return to the lineup back in December (when he missed a dozen games due to that issue) which certainly could have played a role in his decline in production.  Because of the injury, Rakell has declined an invitation to play at the Worlds next month.

Penguins Receiving Strong Interest In Reilly Smith

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At the trade deadline, the focus is often on the rental market.  Contending teams are looking for that final piece but want a short-term acquisition as they can’t afford to keep the player beyond the current season.  However, some non-rentals also attract some interest at this time of year.  It appears one of them is in Pittsburgh as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the Penguins are receiving a lot of calls on winger Reilly Smith, even more than Jake Guentzel, one of the top rentals potentially available between now and March 8th.

The 32-year-old was acquired by Pittsburgh last summer in a move that basically amounted to a salary cap dump from Vegas with Smith, an important part of their Stanley Cup run, yielding just a third-round pick in return.  For a player who reached the 50-point mark in four of his six seasons with the Golden Knights, the return was on the light side but in a flat-cap environment, several teams had to make tough decisions like that.

While Penguins GM Kyle Dubas was hoping that Smith would be a key two-way contributor, that hasn’t exactly been the case.  Instead, his offensive numbers are down as he has just 10 goals and 15 assists in 51 games so far, not a great return on a $5MM price tag.  He’s still averaging over 16 minutes a night, however, and is seeing some action on the penalty kill.  In terms of a player profile, Smith is the type of player a lot of teams can use.

Fitting that contract onto the books is difficult enough for this season with half the league currently using LTIR to stay salary cap-compliant.  The fact that Smith has another year left on his deal after this one adds to the allure but also adds to the complications of making such a deal work.

Seravalli suggests that Smith could be a candidate for salary retention to help open up his market.  Pittsburgh has two of their three slots left while the one they’ve used (Jeff Petry) is on the books through next season.  If Dubas isn’t concerned about using a second slot through 2024-25, paying down Smith’s contract to just a $2.5MM AAV would certainly bolster his market and should allow them to get a considerably better return than what they gave up to get him.  While it’s not the direction they were hoping for, it looks like Smith could help yield a quality piece for a potential rebuild or retool this offseason.

Latest On Penguins’ Deadline Plans, Jake Guentzel

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The Penguins are trending toward being a toss-up at the trade deadline at best after a 3-5-2 skid in their last 10 games. Despite boasting a +11 goal differential, the third-best in the Metropolitan Division, they have four teams to leapfrog to work their way into a Wild Card berth in the Eastern Conference without a significant number of games in hand.

General manager Kyle Dubas said Wednesday that this year’s deadline won’t be so much about buying or selling as it is about getting younger. How that approach influences their decision on trading pending UFA winger Jake Guentzel, who will be out for at least a week past the deadline with an upper-body injury, remains to be seen, Dubas said:

We have to take stock of where we are and be realistic about the fact that one of the issues we have is that we need to get younger. We have a lot of guys in their 30s signed – some of them are the best players in the history of the franchise… It’s tough with Jake [Guentzel] because he is an excellent player playing at an elite level… We need to find a way to have some of those veteran guys while continuing to get younger at the same time.

The iron is still hot surrounding Guentzel’s trade talk, and it doesn’t appear that his injury will impact Pittsburgh’s ability to field offers for him. Dubas confirmed that he has not asked any Penguin to waive his no-move or no-trade clause – Guentzel has a modified NTC that allows him to submit a 12-team no-trade list.

Youth being Dubas’ primary objective is no surprise. After taking over the reins of Pittsburgh’s front office last summer, he inherited an already-aging roster. The team’s most prominent offseason additions – reigning Norris winner Erik Karlsson and 2023 Stanley Cup champion Reilly Smith, pushed the average age further. More than half of their 18 skaters projected to dress in tonight’s game against the Canadiens are over 30.

Guentzel isn’t far behind at 29 – he’ll turn 30 right as the 2024-25 campaign begins. It’s understandable that while the Pens’ core (namely Sidney Crosby) would love to keep him around, there will be some internal hesitancy about signing him to a long-term extension with Karlsson, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Kris Letang, Ryan Graves, and Tristan Jarry already locked up for three years or more.

Herein lies the Penguins’ true problem. If Pittsburgh doesn’t plan to leverage high-end draft picks to acquire younger win-now talent, as Dubas claims, none of their veterans besides Guentzel can fetch the type of youngster they’re looking for. Rust’s, Rakell’s, and Smith’s contracts are all either too pricey or too long to carry much trade value. The same goes for other aging depth players like 2023 free agent signing Noel Acciari, who’s disappointed in the first year of a three-year, $6MM deal.

Very little of their roster can be turned over in free agency this summer, either. Guentzel, Jeff Carter and Jansen Harkins are the only pending UFA forwards on the active roster, and depth defender Chad Ruhwedel is the only pending UFA on the blue line. Backup netminder Alex Nedeljkovic is destined for free agency, too, but it’s feasible they’ll attempt to re-sign him given his bounce-back campaign (.915 SV%, 2.67 GAA, 9-4-4). Getting out of Carter’s $3.125MM cap hit should offer some flexibility, but not enough for the more aggressive level of a retool that Pittsburgh is looking for.

As an aside on the Guentzel front, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet pointed out Wednesday night that if Pittsburgh makes Guentzel available to discuss extensions with trade suitors in the coming weeks, that takes the Oilers out of the running for his services. Edmonton doesn’t have the long-term cap space to offer Guentzel a long-term deal upwards of the $8MM per season he’ll receive, leaving them to pursue cheaper targets to find an upgrade on the wing for their Leon Draisaitl-anchored second line.

With only one season after this remaining on his $5MM AAV deal, Smith is the second-most likely candidate to be moved out behind Guentzel. He’s underwhelmed with 10 goals and 23 points in 47 games this year despite primarily playing alongside Evgeni Malkin. However, the Penguins would likely need to retain some salary to ship him to any contender looking to bolster their third line, where he probably fits in on a championship-bound team. They’re already using one of their three retention spots on Jeff Petry, which helped facilitate last summer’s Karlsson mega-deal.

Metro Notes: Kochetkov, Smith, Ludvig, Haula

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Playing in their final game before the All-Star break tomorrow night, the Carolina Hurricanes will see the return of their primary starting goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov. Team reporter for the Hurricanes, Walt Ruff, announces that the team has activated Kochetkov from the injured reserve, and he will be an option for them tomorrow night against the Arizona Coyotes.

Kochetkov had originally been out since January 12th with a concussion, missing the last six games for Carolina. Now down to a tandem of Antti Raanta and recently claimed Spencer Martin, the team produced a 4-2-0 record in Kochetkov’s absence, averaging three goals against per game.

It has been the tale of two seasons for Kochetkov up to this point, who originally started off the 2023-24 campaign with a 4-5-1 record coupled with a .871 save percentage. Since the team’s blowout loss to the Edmonton Oilers on December 6th, however, Kochetkov has turned into a completely different goaltender, managing a 7-2-2 record in his next 12 games, including an impressive .921 save percentage in the process.

Other Metro notes:

  • Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reported today that defenseman John Ludvig and forward Reilly Smith had returned to regular practice for the Pittsburgh Penguins today, switching out of their previously worn non-contact jerseys. Although neither player suited up in the team’s game tonight against the Florida Panthers, both are effective pieces to get back into the active roster, as Smith has been out for a little over two weeks, and Ludvig has been out for nearly a month. 
  • Preparing for their game tomorrow night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, team reporter for the New Jersey Devils, Amanda Stein mentions that forward Erik Haula did not practice with the club today due to personal reasons. As it is unclear if Haula will suit up tomorrow night against the Lightning or not, with the Devils already having lost plenty of man games to injuries to some of their top stars throughout most of the year, Haula being unable to play would put some more strain on the offensive depth of the organization.

Penguins Notes: Karlsson, Ludvig, Smith

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The Pittsburgh Penguins tweeted yesterday that star defenseman Erik Karlsson was held out of practice due to an illness. The 33-year-old is questionable for Saturday night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights which means recent call-up Ryan Shea could find his way back into the lineup once again for the Penguins.

Karlsson was acquired this past August in a blockbuster three-way trade involving the San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens. He won the Norris Trophy last season after being the first defenseman to top 100 points in a season since Brian Leetch did it in 1991-92. In his first year with the Penguins, Karlsson has had stretches of play where he has looked dominant, however, he has also struggled with the man advantage as the much-maligned Penguins powerplay has yet to find consistency and is a big reason that the team is chasing a playoff spot at the midway point of the season.

In other Penguins notes:

  • Pens Inside Scoop is reporting that injured Penguins defenseman John Ludvig skated in a non-contact jersey after the official portion of the team’s practice had ended yesterday. Ludvig was placed on the injured reserve on January 3rd and is progressing towards a return very soon. The 23-year-old is in his first season with the Penguins, and although he has only a single assist in 19 games, he has impressed the team with his defensive responsibility and willingness to throw his body around.
  • Pens Inside Scoop also reported that Reilly Smith also skated in a non-contact jersey after Penguins practice as he hopes to return in the coming weeks. Smith will likely not be able to play Saturday when the Penguins take on his former team in the Vegas Golden Knights as he is out longer term with an upper-body injury according to the Penguins. Smith suffered the injury on January 11th and has not played since. While a return to the ice against his former team is unlikely, the 32-year-old is in Vegas with the Penguins and should have a chance to re-connect with the community he spent six years in.

Penguins Injury Notes: Ludvig, Nieto, Smith

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Rob Rossi of The Athletic had some updates today on a few injuries the Pittsburgh Penguins are dealing with as they reach the mid-season mark. Rossi stated that defenseman John Ludvig is tracking well and skated on his own this morning. The 23-year-old rookie has been a pleasant surprise this season for Pittsburgh after he was acquired off waivers from the Florida Panthers. The former third-round pick hasn’t offered much offensively but has been one of the only Penguins defenders to engage opponents physically and had been very sound in the defensive zone.

Ludvig was placed on injured reserve back on January 3rd after head coach Mike Sullivan said he was a little banged up. It isn’t clear what type of injury he is dealing with, but it appears that he should be back in the Penguins lineup very soon. Pittsburgh has quite a few bottom-pairing defensive options and has shuffled through all of them, however, before the injury Ludvig appeared to be taking a firm grasp on one of those spots.

In other Penguins injury notes:

  • Rossi also provided a brief update on injured forward Matthew Nieto who underwent successful laparoscopic surgery to his right knee just two weeks ago. Rossi’s short comment mentioned that things are status quo with Nieto and his recovery, and he will remain in Pittsburgh when the team goes on their upcoming road trip. Nieto was expected to miss 6-8 weeks recovering from the surgery, and given that his status remains the same, it is safe to assume that he will return to the Penguins lineup just before the NHL trade deadline on March 8th. Nieto has been terrific for the Penguins on the penalty kill this season, and his even strength play improved after a poor start to the season. Jansen Harkins is currently occupying Nieto’s spot on the Penguins fourth line alongside Noel Acciari and Jeff Carter.
  • Finally, Rossi offered an update on Reilly Smith saying that he will travel with the team on their upcoming road trip but likely will not play. It is expected that the team will have an update on Smith’s status after the weekend. Smith’s injury is currently being classified as an upper-body injury that will keep him out longer-term, however, not much more information is available. Smith opened the season showing terrific chemistry with center Evgeni Malkin, but since November 4th he has just two goals and has seemed lost at times. He has dressed in 40 games this season and has eight goals and 12 assists during that time. The Penguins are currently using Drew O’Connor in Smith’s role on the second line alongside Malkin.
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