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Reilly Smith Will Look to Bounce Back to His Former Glory on the Rangers Top Line

By Conor Power

Mar 16, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) moves the puck against Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Reilly Smith (19) during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. New York won 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) moves the puck against Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Reilly Smith (19) during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. New York won 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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Reilly Smith is the newest trade acquisition in the New York Rangers organization, and the veteran winger comes to the Blueshirts with redemption in mind. His time with the Pittsburgh Penguins was underwhelming. With that in mind, the Rangers will be looking to have their new veteran winger rebound in a big way. He's shown before that being an outcast can get the most out of this player, as he was one of the original misfits that made up the Vegas Golden Knights' inaugural season.

Playing next to Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider will give the Rangers hope that the new forward can get back to the player he was in Vegas and fill the hole that has existed in the Rangers' top-six since the Pavel Buchnevich trade with the St. Louis Blues a few seasons ago. Smith will be the man the Rangers bet on to occupy that gap well enough to fire, with the big duo leading the Rangers' forward core.

Smith will have a lot of weight on his shoulders heading into next season after a poor year with just 13 goals and 27 assists that left him with 40 points. This is a down year by his standards, and the Rangers are getting to take a gamble on Smith, knowing that there is a chance he rebounds back to his former glory to fill the long-term issues in the top six. With Pittsburgh paying half his salary, this is a very low-risk scenario.

In Vegas, Smith exceeded with William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault. He'll get two similar quality linemates when he makes his way to the Big Apple. With Chris Kreider's speed and Mika Zibanejad's shot, this will probably be the most talent that Smith has had to work with since entering the league with the Dallas Stars many moons ago. Here's hoping the new guy gets to step into the bright lights on Broadway with success.

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