Penguins acquire forward Reilly Smith from Golden Knights

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kyle Dubas took his first step toward crafting his version of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.

Approximately three hours before the opening of the NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena, Dubas, the new president of hockey operations for the Penguins, filled a potential hole among his top-six forwards by acquiring forward Reilly Smith from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2024.

A member of the Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup championship team this past spring, Smith is entering the second year of a three-year contract with a salary cap hit of $5 million. Per Cap Friendly, Smith’s contract contains no-trade clauses.

In the 2023-24 season, Smith may submit a list of 10 teams he would not accept a trade to. For the 2024-25 season, he may submit a list of eight teams.

Smith, 32, appeared in 78 games during the 2022-23 season and scored 56 points (26 goals, 30 assists) while averaging 16 minutes, 58 seconds of ice time.

During the playoffs, Smith, a left-handed shot, played in 22 games and scored 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) while clocking 16:46 of ice time per contest.

Capable of playing either wing, Smith (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) primarily skated on the left wing last season.

In addition to being a viable candidate for a role on the team’s top two lines and the power play, Smith is a potent force on the penalty kill. Since 2016-17, his 13 goals on the penalty kill are fourth most in the NHL.

“He brings so much with the versatility of his game,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said during the first round of the draft. “One of the strengths of his game is his hockey IQ. He’s a contentious player defensively, he has an offensive element to his game. Obviously, he scored 26 goals last year. His body of work in the league suggested he can score goals. He can play either wing, he kills penalties, he’s on the power play. The fact that he’s been used in all situations, I think, is suggestive of his hockey IQ. He sees it pretty well and plays with some pretty good offensive players.

“Also brings a defensive two-way game which, I think, is important to winning, especially when the stakes get high. He’s going to bring that to our team. As far as where he fits in our lineup, I’m sure we’ll probably explore different options, but I think it just gives us that much more versatility.”

A third-round selection (No. 69 overall) in the 2009 NHL Draft by the Dallas Stars, Smith has played for the Stars, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and was a member of the Golden Knights when they entered the NHL as an expansion franchise in 2017.

Sullivan indicated coaches and management discussed how Smith might fit on the second line with center Evgeni Malkin given their abilities to strike off the rush.

Smith’s arrival likely means forward Jason Zucker’s time with the Penguins has come to an end.

A pending unrestricted free agent on Saturday, Zucker is in the final days of a four-year contract that carries a salary cap hit of $5.5 million.

Zucker, 31, is coming off a strong season in which he shook off injuries that had staggered most of his tenure with the Penguins. Primarily playing on the second line Malkin, Zucker appeared in 78 games in 2022-23 and scored 48 points (27 goals, 21 assists).

The Penguins acquired Zucker via a trade with the Minnesota Wild in February 2020.

Per Cap Friendly, the Penguins now have $15,208,158 of salary cap space to operate with.

The third-round pick the Penguins sent to the Golden Knights was originally property of the Golden Knights. The Penguins, under former general manager Ron Hextall, acquired that pick March 1 in a deal that sent forward Teddy Blueger to the Golden Knights.

For the Golden Knights, the transaction created some valuable salary cap space that can be used to re-sign other players. Within the hour of dealing Smith, the Golden Knights announced a five-year contract for forward Ivan Barbashev that carries a salary cap hit of $5 million.

Speaking with media in Cranberry on Friday, Dubas suggested he potentially would pursue a trade with another team that might be trying to shed salary to fill out his roster.

“The cap space that the club has built up certainly affords us the chance to do that,” Dubas said. “So ‘yes’ would be the answer on that front in terms of looking at players who may be available that kind of fit that exact criteria. Or it could be taking on a contract another team has to move in rather than accepting draft picks back or what the usual return would be on shorter term deals.

“We could take back one of their players that they might have in surplus at a position of our own needs.”

Note: The NHL and NHLPA officially announced the salary cap ceiling ($83.5 million) and floor ($61.7 million) for the 2023-24 season Wednesday.