This summer, Jason Newland and I will continue our series looking at potential free agent targets who could be available on July 1.
Target: Reilly Smith – RW – 14 Years Experience
At 34 years old, Smith has proven that he can score at the NHL level. Over his 14-year career, he has been on some good teams, including the Vegas Golden Knights, where he won a Stanley Cup. After being selected in the expansion draft by Vegas, he really showed his worth.
When he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, he felt out of place, so they traded him to the New York Rangers, where he did well. At the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, he ended up back with the Golden Knights, where he will likely want to end his career if he has the chance.
Stats
This past season, Smith split time between the Rangers and the Golden Knights. He played in 79 games and scored 13 goals and 27 assists for a total of 40 points. His career high came back in 2017-18 in his first year with Vegas when he scored 60 points in 67 games. In his career, he has collected 226 goals and 327 assists for 553 points in 919 games, which means if he plays another full season, he will reach 1,000 NHL games played.
In the playoffs, Smith has had some good success as well. He has appeared in the playoffs eight times and played in 117 games, recording 29 goals and 54 assists for 83 points.
Previous Salary
Smith is in the final year of a three-year deal that he signed back on July 13, 2022, with the Golden Knights. His contract carries an AAV of $5 million per season, for a total of $15 million. Contract experts predict that his next deal will end up being close to a two-year deal with an AAV of $4.4 million.
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This summer, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets/author/jason-newland">Jason Newland </a>and I will continue our series looking at potential free agent targets who could be available on July 1.
Realistic Chances of a Signing: Cold
As mentioned before, if Smith has the chance to return to Vegas, there likely won't be another team that he is interested in. If they can't afford to bring him back, then given his age, it is safe to assume that he will seek another chance to win the Cup with teams like the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, or he may even attempt to re-sign with the Florida Panthers, where he played before the expansion draft.
There really isn't much of a chance that he would sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets. If he were to give it any thought, it would be on the chance that he would be traded at the deadline if they were out of the race. He will want to win a Cup before he calls it a career, so that will likely be his main focus.
Blue Jackets Well-Represented As Medal Rounds Begin At 2025 Worlds
The medal rounds start today at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, and the Columbus Blue Jackets have a handful of players bidding to win gold.
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This summer, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets/author/spencer-lazary">Spencer Lazary</a> and I will continue our series with more potential free agent targets that could be on the market on July 1st.
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This summer, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets/author/jason-newland">Jason Newland </a>and I will continue our series looking at potential free agent targets who could be available on July 1.
Who Would The Blue Jackets Protect If They Had To Use The PWHL Expansion Rules?
The PWHL unveiled the rules for their upcoming expansion draft, where they are adding two teams. Those will be PWHL Seattle and PWHL Vancouver. The rules are pretty wild, and you can read them <a href="https://www.thepwhl.com/en/news/2025/may/19/pwhl-releases-key-dates-rules-and-procedures-for-2025-expansion-rosters">here</a>.