Vegas' usual brutal offseason begins with the trade of Reilly Smith, one of the original "misfits". It's good that Smith got to be a part of the winning team in Vegas this year, but the perils of the job mean that his contract was deemed expendable by the team. Meanwhile, the Penguins are trying to load up for another run with their aging core, and acquiring decent wingers for cheap is what they need to do more of.

The Penguins have acquired forward Reilly Smith from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a 2024 third-round draft pick.

Smith is signed through the 2024.25 season and his contract carries an average annual value of $5 million at the NHL level.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 28, 2023

What the Penguins Get:

Smith is a top-six winger who is responsible on both ends of the ice. He is also a smart player that should take well to playing with a top-tier centre, so look for his point totals to see a slight uptick this coming season. His career-high in points is only 60, and I think that could be toppled with a healthy season. There is room to grow with ice time, shot rate, and offensive deployment. The big question will then be whether him, Jeff Petry, or Bryan Rust gets the final spot on the top power play unit alongside the big guns. This also likely means that Jason Zucker is not being brought back.

What the Golden Knights Get:

Cap flexibility. It has been rumoured that Adin Hill is going to sign a two-year extension worth almost exactly the $5 million that Reilly Smith was making, so this could be a money-in, money-out scenario. Vegas also has the winger depth to promote internally, but it's unlikely anyone specific sees a huge increase in their role.

Players this helps:

Reilly Smith

Players this hurts:

Bryan Rust

Alex Nylander