Perhaps it was the good vibes of being here at the annual Shoulder Check Showcase mental health initiative and charity hockey game, but Chris Kreider sure sounded excited about the New York Rangers trading for Reilly Smith earlier this offseason.
Though unable to land one of the big-name free-agent forwards that could’ve really generated excitement, the Rangers — with limited salary cap space — instead traded a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft and a conditional fifth-round selection in 2025 to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 33-year-old, who had 40 points in 76 games last season.
But Kreider reeled off a bunch of reasons why Smith is a solid addition for the Rangers.
“Incredibly smart. Playing against him for a long time and watching him in Vegas, he can do everything,” Kreider said. “Play anywhere on your power play, very effective penalty killer. He’s just very intelligent, very crafty. Strong skater, ton of skill. He’s dynamic. Just a really good player.”
There’s a good chance that Smith gets a long look at right wing on a line with Kreider and Mika Zibanejad during training camp. For years now, that has been a black hole, where the Rangers are trying everything to find a fit. Last season, Kaapo Kakko, Blake Wheeler, Jimmy Vesey, Filip Chytil and even Alex Wennberg, in the sixth and final game of the Eastern Conference Final, got a whack at filling the spot.
This season, a healthy Chytil will likely center the third line with Kakko his linemate, Vesey should be a bottom-six fixture, and Wheeler and Wennberg won’t be back.
So, enter Smith, the younger brother of former Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith.
“I know him through Brendan,” Kreider explained. “I met him a few times, so I’ve gotten really close with their family. So, personally, very excited to play with Reilly. … I’m really looking forward to it. He’s really a helluva hockey player and definitely makes the team better immediately.”
Rangers newcomer will try to fit in on line with Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad
The onus is now on Smith to live up to Kreider’s praise. He had a down season with the Penguins in 2023-24 after helping the Vegas Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup in the spring of 2023. He has scored 213 goals and totaled 513 points in 840 NHL games and built a reputation as a big-game player with 79 points (26 goals, 53 assists) in 106 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
There are valid questions about Smith being a top-six right wing at this stage of his career. But he’s in the final year of his contract and the Rangers are paying him $3.75 million this season, with the Penguins picking up the other $1.25 million. So, the Rangers see it as a worthwhile and affordable move.
“Very excited to get Reilly,” Rangers general manager Chris Drury said after the trade. “He’s a player we’ve been looking at and talking about for a while. He brings a lot of versatility to our lineup. He has a winning pedigree having won in Vegas. A proven playoff performer and he just fits in nicely with our entire group. We’re talking to a lot of agents and [had] a lot of balls in the air throughout the day and just felt this was the best move we could make.”
The Rangers can always pivot during the season or certainly closer to the trade deadline if they need more firepower or another look on the right side of Kreider and Zibanejad, who’ve struggled 5v5 with their myriad of linemates over the years.
Kreider is just looking to avoid feeling the way he felt this spring watching the Florida Panthers hoist the Stanley Cup after the Rangers were eliminated by the champs one round earlier. Kreider “suffered through” watching the Panthers win the Cup because he believes the Rangers “were right there with them.”
“It’s a super close group, obviously not a ton of turnover, so I think everyone is kind of in the same frame of mind, champing at the bit ready to go,” Kreider said, though training camp doesn’t begin until mid-September.
