Another expected domino fell as the Vegas Golden Knights reunited with an old friend by acquiring Reilly Smith from the New York Rangers. All told, Smith wasn't having that bad of a season with New York – his goals and assists per game are nearly in line with what he did in Pittsburgh last season – but now he gets to go back to the team that helped make his career and where he won a Stanley Cup. This is the trade:

Let's break it down.

What Vegas Gets

When Smith is at his best, he's the prototypical 'Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None' kind of player. He is a good-not-great goalscorer and a solid playmaker. Just to back that up: from 2021-2024, his 0.75 goals and 0.77 primary assists per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 were in the 58^th percentile and 80^th percentile, respectively. He doesn't hit or block much, but isn't a complete zero in those categories, either. When he was at his best, he could reliably post 82-game paces of at least 20 goals, 30 assists, and nearly 200 shots. That is fine production.

The problem he'll run into in Vegas this time around is a team that is reasonably deep on the wing. He will not have a role over Mark Stone, Ivan Barbashev, or Pavel Dorofeyev, and Brandon Saad has found some success with the Golden Knights after being brought in recently. At best, Smith will be the fourth winger on the depth chart, and very possibly even lower. At that point, we're looking at maybe 13 minutes a game at even strength, another minute on the power play, and 1-2 minutes on the penalty kill. That means 15-16 minutes a game, or a sizable drop from when he was in Vegas the first time around.

Injuries happen and players get shuffled, but for now, relying on Smith to be anything more than 16-minute player, and more likely a 15-minute player, is expecting too much. Add that modest ice time to good-not-great offensive production rates, and getting 10 points from him over the balance of the season would be a solid performance.

There are always fantasy leagues where a player like this is viable, but there likely won't be much fantasy relevance for Smith in most leagues.

What New York Gets

Brendan Brisson was a late first-round pick in the 2020 Draft and he has just not been able to stick in the NHL. His last three AHL seasons have seen him average 50 points every 82 games, and that is nothing spectacular. Maybe a fresh start in New York (or in Hartford, really) is what he needs, and the Rangers will have spots for him in the bottom-6 if he can work his way up. This is a long-term project, though, not someone who will make an impact in the 2024-25 season.

Who This Helps

Will Cuylle

Brennan Othmann

Brett Berard

William Karlsson

Who This Hurts

Victor Olofsson

Tanner Pearson