Reilly Smith will get chance to be Rangers’ long-sought answer on top line
NY Post
As of now, the Rangers’ headlining offseason acquisition is Reilly Smith — a 33-year-old right wing who is coming off a down year in Pittsburgh in his 13th NHL season.
Smith was a third-liner by the time his Penguins tenure was up, but he is now primed to compete for a top-six role with the Blueshirts that has seen an excessive amount of turnover since Pavel Buchnevich was traded in July 2021.
It’s another year and another candidate to skate on the right side of Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.
The two longest tenured Rangers have been on a line together relatively consistently since 2016 and have proven to be a tough duo to join.
Not Patrick Kane nor Vladimir Tarasenko, nor any others on a laundry list of current Rangers who got looks, were able to find steady success in that spot after Buchnevich’s departure.
The last player to look promising there was trade-deadline acquisition Frank Vatrano during the 2022 run to the conference final.
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.