REILLY SMITH - Right Winger - 28 - $5MM Cap Hit - UFA in 2022-2023
LAST UPDATED 8/28/19
Reilly Smith's career has followed a really interesting pattern. He'll go to a new team, like Boston or Florida, and really impress in his first season there. In his first season as a Bruin, Smith posted 51 points and scored 20 goals, great numbers, but he followed that season up with an uneven sophomore campaign that saw his point production fall, and as a result he was shipped to Florida. In Florida, Smith's production rebounded, and he again scored 20+ goals and 50+ points. His next season as a Panther, Smith's production fell again, and his contract was dumped on the Golden Knights along with Jonathan Marchessault as compensation. In Vegas, Smith again had an incredible first season, posting 60 points in only 67 games, but this past season, his second as a Golden Knight, his production got worse, and he nearly dipped below 50 points again. This should make Smith an incredibly frustrating player to have, right? That's partially true, because everyone knows just how good he can be, it's also partially false because even in his lesser seasons he's still a very valuable winger. Smith's best benefit is that he brings tremendous value besides his scoring, most crucially in his penalty killing. Smith is a truly elite penalty killer, blending incredible positioning and intelligence with good-enough physicality and strong shorthanded offensive play. He can burn a team that makes mistakes by burying a shorthanded goal, and he can be the suffocating defensive force that kills chances left and right. Isolated impact metrics support my opinion about Smith's penalty killing, measuring him as an elite defensive force on the PK. That defensive play is what drives much of Smith's overall value, so even if he's not scoring 60 points he's still a major reason why his team's able to win. Smith is a truly great defensive forward who can capably anchor the forward side of a PK and fill in on a top-6 line as a complementary scorer.
Reilly Smith's career has followed a really interesting pattern. He'll go to a new team, like Boston or Florida, and really impress in his first season there. In his first season as a Bruin, Smith posted 51 points and scored 20 goals, great numbers, but he followed that season up with an uneven sophomore campaign that saw his point production fall, and as a result he was shipped to Florida. In Florida, Smith's production rebounded, and he again scored 20+ goals and 50+ points. His next season as a Panther, Smith's production fell again, and his contract was dumped on the Golden Knights along with Jonathan Marchessault as compensation. In Vegas, Smith again had an incredible first season, posting 60 points in only 67 games, but this past season, his second as a Golden Knight, his production got worse, and he nearly dipped below 50 points again. This should make Smith an incredibly frustrating player to have, right? That's partially true, because everyone knows just how good he can be, it's also partially false because even in his lesser seasons he's still a very valuable winger. Smith's best benefit is that he brings tremendous value besides his scoring, most crucially in his penalty killing. Smith is a truly elite penalty killer, blending incredible positioning and intelligence with good-enough physicality and strong shorthanded offensive play. He can burn a team that makes mistakes by burying a shorthanded goal, and he can be the suffocating defensive force that kills chances left and right. Isolated impact metrics support my opinion about Smith's penalty killing, measuring him as an elite defensive force on the PK. That defensive play is what drives much of Smith's overall value, so even if he's not scoring 60 points he's still a major reason why his team's able to win. Smith is a truly great defensive forward who can capably anchor the forward side of a PK and fill in on a top-6 line as a complementary scorer.
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