With just hours left until the 2023 NHL Draft gets underway, the Vegas Golden Knights traded Reilly Smith to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick. The third-round pick retained by the Golden Knights happens to be the same pick used to acquire Teddy Blueger from the Penguins on March 1.
An original Misfit. A leader on the ice and in our community. A Stanley Cup Champion.
— 🏆 – Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 28, 2023
Thanks for the memories, Reilly. Vegas will always love you 🍏💛#VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/JKoaPmNTDK
One of just six misfits left from the franchise’s inaugural 2017-18 season all the way till they hoisted the Stanley Cup a few weeks ago, Smith was an integral part of the Golden Knights organization. In 399 regular season games played with the team, he scored 124 goals and tallied 162 assists for 286 points while also sitting second on the Golden Knights’ all-time playoff scorer with 66 points through 88 games.
What Does This Trade Mean for Both Teams?
The 32-year-old winger will be carrying a $5 million cap hit for the next two seasons, and trading him away could clear space for goaltender Adin Hill’s rumored extension to get signed. With the way Vegas runs its organization, these are the difficult decisions that need to be made in order to maintain a competitive roster under its current restraints.
Related: Grading the Penguins’ Trade for Smith from Golden Knights
This could also pave the way for a potential extension for Jonathan Marchessault to get signed in the coming weeks, with his contract expiring at the end of the 2023-24 season. Marchessault just won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP and is due for a raise from his $5 million annual salary, which was part of a six-year, $30 million deal he signed in the summer of 2018 with the Golden Knights.
As for the Pittsburgh Penguins, this marks the beginning of the Kyle Dubas era as their President of Hockey Operations. Dubas left the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this month in controversial fashion to join the Penguins in hopes of putting together one last run with the legendary core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. And coming off of a Stanley Cup championship run of his own, Reilly Smith is a great addition to their top-six.