Rangers holding Reilly Smith out vs. Predators with another trade likely coming
NY Post
The Rangers’ trade-deadline picture continues to come into focus.
Reilly Smith will be held out of the Blueshirts’ matchup with the Predators Sunday night at Madison Square Garden for roster management purposes, according to a source.
That’s a usual indication that a trade is either on the horizon or in the works.
It’s the first step toward the Rangers’ second move of the week, after president and general manager Chris Drury traded Ryan Lindgren, Jimmy Vesey and prospect Hank Kempf to Colorado on Saturday in exchange for Juuso Parssinen, Calvin de Haan, a second-rounder and a fourth-rounder in this year’s NHL draft.
The Rangers are not in a position to be letting their impending free agents walk for nothing, so players on expiring contracts like Vesey and Lindgren were prioritized.
Pittsburgh traded Smith to the Rangers in July in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick this year and a second-round pick in 2027.
Of course this is not 2018, this deadline does not represent a sea change in philosophy resembling that one. But, just as seven years ago, the hierarchy — different general managers, same CEO — is not homing in at making a run at eighth place at the expense of acquiring future assets in exchange for expiring contracts.
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