Why Reilly Smith Is The Missing Piece Rangers Were Looking For

The New York Rangers made a bigger splash than people may actually think by acquiring Reilly Smith.

New York traded a conditional fifth-round pick in2025 and a second-rounder in 2027 in exchange for Smith.

What will the 33-year-old forward provide for the Rangers?

The Rangers biggest need was to find a player that would be a good fit to play alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.

Coach Peter Laviolette mixed and matched different players on this line, but could never find the correct fit.

Now it looks like they may have a match made in heaven with Smith playing with the Rangers’ big boys.

Smith is a bonafide top-six forward who is accustomed to playing with some talented players, especially during his time with the Golden Knights.

He won’t put up mind-boggling numbers, but Smith is a consistent goal scorer and he can help ease the pressure off of Kreider and Zibanejad.

Again, Smith is not the flashiest player by any means. In the playoffs when the lights get brighter though, Smith elevates his game and is clutch, which is exactly what the kind of play New York has been itching for in the postseason.

“We’re very excited to get Reilly, a player we’ve been looking at and talking about for a while,” Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury said. “Brings a lot of versatility to our lineup, has a winning pedigree having won in Vegas. A proven playoff performer and I think just fits in nicely with our entire group. We just were talking to a lot of different agents and a lot of balls in the air throughout the day, and just felt this was the best move we can make.”

As Drury said, Smith is a Stanley Cup champion and that goes a long way in a locker room and team that is competing for championships.

A trade that may seem small right now has the potential to make a monumental impact for the Rangers down the road.