Good News: The Rangers have traded for Reilly Smith, a “proven playoff performer,” from the Penguins.

On the first day of free agency, the Rangers did not sign a major player or offload a portion of captain Jacob Trouba’s contract; neither of those things were very noteworthy. The Blueshirts’ right-wing stack needed a temporary fix, so they traded with a division rival. The Penguins announced Monday that they transferred Reilly Smith, a 33-year-old defenseman, to the Rangers in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2025 and a second-rounder in 2027. Smith will now play for the New York Rangers.

Smith will only be on the Rangers’ books for one season at $3.75 million because Pittsburgh will keep 25% of his $5 million price charge. In a trade with the Penguins, the Rangers will acquire forward Reilly Smith. In a trade with the Penguins, the Rangers will acquire forward Reilly Smith.
After the Blueshirts traded for Ryan Reaves in November 2022, they received a fifth-round pick from the Wild or the Rangers, whichever is worst.

Reilly is a player the Rangers have been interested in for some time, and their president and general manager, Chris Drury, expressed their excitement about the signing during a Monday night conference call with media. “Has a winning pedigree, having won in Vegas, and brings a lot of versatility to our team. An accomplished postseason participant who, in my opinion, meshes well with the rest of our squad. We simply felt this was the most prudent course of action after a day of communicating with numerous agents and keeping several balls in the air.

Compared to previous years, July 1st was considerably more subdued for the Rangers.