Golden Knights Acquire Reilly Smith From The Rangers

The Vegas Golden Knights have traded Brendan Brisson and a 2025 third-round pick to the New York Rangers in exchange for Reilly Smith and 50% retention.

Smith, now 33 years old, will be returning to the Golden Knights where he won a Stanley Cup and enjoyed some of the best years of his career. In 399 games with the Golden Knights, Smith scored 124 goals and 286 points. 

He was moved to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the offseason following their Stanley Cup triumph and was once again traded prior to the season from the Penguins to the Rangers.

As the Rangers' season has continued to be poor, they held Smith out of the lineup for two games for trade protection reasons. One of the first teams to claim an interest in Smith was the Golden Knights, and GM Kelly McCrimmon elected to pull the trigger, trading away another former first-round pick.

Brisson is a skilled forward with an NHL-level shot but could never break into the Golden Knights lineup and maintain a spot on their roster. His foot speed and inconsistent compete level hampered his effectiveness, and ultimately led to this decision. 

The Rangers have taken chances on former top prospects like Arthur Kaliyev and will do so again with Brisson. The third-round pick the Golden Knights are giving up is the San Jose Sharks 2025 pick. 

The original misfit returns and the young scorer gets a change of scenery. 

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