Every trade deadline, the Vegas Golden Knights appear connected to the market’s biggest players. We’re all too familiar with it and almost expect general manager Kelly McCrimmon to make a splash, acquiring a superstar. Think Tomáš Hertl or Noah Hanifin at last year’s deadline.
With elite playmaker Mikko Rantanen getting dealt for the second time in the past 45 days and Brad Marchand surprisingly getting traded to the Florida Panthers, it’s no surprise many thought the Golden Knights would make a lot of noise. Rather, they did the opposite, making no moves on March 7, only acquiring an original misfit in Reilly Smith on March 6, who returns to Vegas.
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It’s a homecoming reunion for Smith and the Golden Knights, but besides adding depth to the left wing with Smith (which they certainly needed), McCrimmon stood pat, and it might be good he did. With that, here’s the breakdown of the trade deadline for the Golden Knights.
Reilly Smith Returns to Vegas
One of the original misfits finds his way back to the Sin City. Smith was acquired in exchange for Brendan Brisson and a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft (San Jose Sharks pick). Compared to what the rest of the market shaped out to be in terms of prices, this worked well in Vegas’ favor.
Brisson, the Golden Knights’ 2020 first-round pick, hasn’t panned out the way they expected, as he’s struggled to produce in the American Hockey League this season. He’s only played 23 games in the NHL, recording eight points.
At one point, Brisson looked very promising, but Smith’s return helps them win now and allows Brisson the opportunity to find success with the New York Rangers.
“It’s a good addition for us,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s a veteran guy, he knows how we play, he knows the room and he knows our expectations. We’re happy to have him back.”
The Rangers also retained 50% of Smith’s contract, so the Golden Knights will pay him only $1.875 million for the remainder of this season. While that mattered the day of the trade (March 6) with the sense Vegas could make more moves, it’s not nearly as impactful with the deadline already passed.
Smith helps fill a spot on the left wing that the Golden Knights needed: depth and a familiar face. Regardless of the familiar face, he’s exactly what Vegas was looking for, and he’ll look to make an impact in the playoffs as he did when they won the Stanley Cup in 2023.
Western Conference Stacked Ahead of Playoffs
There’s no doubt that Smith will be a good piece to the lineup, but will he be as impactful as Rantanen on the Dallas Stars? Who knows, but I’d be in the boat that says no. Most of the bigger deals took place in the Western Conference. The Edmonton Oilers added some pieces, the Colorado Avalanche completely reshaped their center depth, and the Winnipeg Jets added some veteran pieces and much more.
The question then looms: Did Vegas do enough to keep up with the rest of the Western Conference? It’s hard to tell now, given they remain in first place in the Pacific Division, but nearly every contending team around them improved.
That said, it might be good that the Golden Knights didn’t cough up some of these prices floating around. Some of the best deals are the ones that don’t happen, which might prove true in the long run for McCrimmon.
Shea Theodore was never placed on long-term injured reserve, so he’ll be back before the season ends, which should boost the defense significantly. No matter what happens, though, it’s obvious that lots of teams in the West are going for it all, and Vegas is right in the thick of it.
Winners or Losers?
It’s hard to look at this season’s deadline for the Golden Knights and deem them losers; that wouldn’t be fair even if they didn’t make a massive splash like we’re all used to. They added a veteran winger in Smith, a position they needed an upgrade at, and they did that. It may not look pretty, given what the teams did around them, but sometimes that’s all it takes. We’ll see what happens when we get to April with the playoffs, but Vegas added what they needed and perhaps not what they wanted.
