Reilly Smith has been absent from any activities with the New York Rangers as he’s been held out for roster management-related reasons.
The veteran forward is expected to be traded before Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline and while we don’t know any specific teams that have interest in Smith, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman dropped some hints.
“I couldn’t say for sure it was one particular team that was looking at Smith,” Friedman said. “I think there were a couple, some contenders. I didn’t get the sense that it was Canada that he was going to. It was probably the States. Not 100 percent on that, but probably States. I do think it was a couple of contenders that were looking at him.”
Smith is on an expiring contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason, so he could serve as a valuable rental for contending teams with high Stanley Cup aspirations.
The 33-year-old forward has been a reliable scoring threat in the past. With the Rangers, he played more of a two-way role, molding into a defensively-minded forward.
While the Rangers currently sit in a playoff position, the team has been clear that they are not in a place to let their unrestricted free agents walk without getting assets or players in return.
Smith has now missed New York’s past two games and Peter Laviolette didn’t sugar-code the situation at hand.
“There’s conversations with Reilly, there are conversations with the team,” Laviolette said. “It’s a different situation, but Reilly was a really good player for us. Did a lot of good things, but this is just where it’s at right now. He’s out tonight and we’ll see where it goes, but he’s been a fantastic player for us.”
In 58 games this season, Smith has recorded 10 goals, 19 assists and 29 points while averaging 15:36 minutes.