Rangers acquire ‘proven playoff performer’ Reilly Smith in trade with Penguins
NY Post
The Rangers’ most notable act on the first day of free agency was not a big fish signing or the off-loading of at least part of captain Jacob Trouba’s contract.
It was a trade with a division foe to provide a short-term solution for the Blueshirts’ right-wing stack.
Reilly Smith is New York bound after the Penguins traded the 33-year-old to the Rangers on Monday, in exchange for a conditional 2025 fifth-round pick and a second-rounder in 2027, the team announced.
Pittsburgh will retain 25 percent of Smith’s $5 million cap hit, which puts him on the Rangers’ books for just one season at $3.75 million.
Additionally, the fifth-round pick will be whichever is the worse of the Rangers’ and the Wild’s, acquired by the Blueshirts in the Ryan Reaves deal in November 2022.
“We’re very excited to get Reilly, a player we’ve been looking at and talking about for a while,” Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury said on a conference call with reporters Monday evening. “Brings a lot of versatility to our lineup, has a winning pedigree having won in Vegas. A proven playoff performer and I think just fits in nicely with our entire group. We just were talking to a lot of different agents and a lot of balls in the air throughout the day, and just felt this was the best move we can make.”
The Jets were quiet on Day 2 of free agency after adding a new quarterback Monday.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Brett Berard has displayed both a fiery passion and an admirable patience in the last six months of his hockey career, which reached the NHL level for the first time at the end of November.
PORT ST. LUCIE — The baseball calendar says the Mets have about two weeks until Opening Day, but Francisco Lindor’s mind is on another timetable as these dog days of spring training pass.
The man with the best nickname on the team is one of the few Knicks who has made it this far relatively unscathed in the court of public opinion.
For a guy who seemingly is always headed out the door, Darius Slayton has a way of never leaving.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Rangers stood by their defensive structure in the immediate aftermath of their Weekend of Missed Opportunities, in which they had two chances to capture the top wild-card spot in the East and failed to do so in such disappointing fashion.
PORT ST. LUCIE — Luis Torrens helped inject life into the Mets’ season last year but now faces even larger responsibilities with the team.
The Jets are having a Fields Day.
SACRAMENTO — P.J. Tucker understands his reputation as a hard-nosed player who is willing to vocalize displeasure.
The Yankees have insurance on Gerrit Cole, which is a positive thing in a very worrisome situation.
Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve, oh, the Rangers might’ve had a weekend if they had only buckled down after taking a 3-1 lead into the final 10 minutes in Ottawa on Saturday.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Dodgers’ last two steps to a championship were eliminating the New York teams last October, and it is hard to miss how much of a better February and March Los Angeles is having as well.
The Jets kicked off free agency by keeping one of their own.