Golden Knights Free Agency
Late-Game Heroics Showcase Why Golden Knights Must Keep Reilly Smith
Every comeback needs a spark, and every revolution needs a catalyst. On Saturday, instead of a “shot heard ‘round the world,” the Vegas Golden Knights and their fans watched Reilly Smith score the “goal heard ‘round the world.”
They were a fraction of a second away from heading to sudden-death overtime. That alone is enough to strike fear into the hearts of any hockey fan, but in Game 3, the situation was far more dire for the Golden Knights.
Already down 2-0 in their second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers, overtime would have been an all too real game of Russian roulette for the Golden Knights. One goal, one play, one moment would decide the fate of their season.
And then, magic.
Misfit magic.
Pressured by Connor McDavid, Brayden McNabb opted to give the puck to William Karlsson rather than attempt to clear the zone. Karlsson escaped the zone, weaving around a charging Leon Draisaitl, and galloped to center ice.
Karlsson blew past McDavid and dumped the puck into the Oilers’ zone. He shrugged off Darnell Nurse, beat Brett Kulak to the puck, and backhanded a centering pass. The puck took a bounce off the side of the net and ended up in the high slot on Reilly Smith’s stick.
Smith faked a shot that fooled Darnell Nurse; when Nurse dropped and lunged for the puck, Smith dangled around his outstretched stick. Stuart Skinner aggressively left his crease, and the original misfit waited him out before getting his shot off.
The shot was going wide. Kulak was holding Karlsson’s stick at the far post, and there would be no hope for a back-door tap-in.
But sometimes, all you need is a little luck.
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With Skinner so far out of his crease, Leon Draisaitl attempted to block Smith’s shot-pass. In doing so, he redirected the puck into his own net.
Garrett Rank emphatically signaled ‘no goal,’ but Smith knew. So, too, did the Golden Knights on the bench; when Smith skated by, his teammates mobbed him.
The home crowd, previously alternating between cheering for their Oilers and taunting Adin Hill, fell into a stunned silence.
What just happened?
By now, everyone knows what happened: Smith scored with 0.4 seconds remaining in regulation. Instead of trudging back to their locker room for an anxiety-filled third-period intermission, the Golden Knights headed down the tunnel to celebrate.
If there were ever a goal to demonstrate who Reilly Smith is, it’s this one.
He got the puck with 2.1 seconds remaining in regulation. With that little time on the clock, most players would just try to get a shot off. After all, who the hell has the wherewithal to fake a shot with 2.1 seconds remaining in regulation?
Reilly Smith, that’s who.
That’s just who he is. He’s got a nice shot, and he’s plenty fast, but it’s not his physical gifts that make Smith the player he is– it’s his mind. The difference between a good player and a great player is that great players can slow the game down. Smith, ever the cerebral player, can do just that.
When general manager Kelly McCrimmon reacquired Smith at the trade deadline, Golden Knights fans everywhere rejoiced. Their prodigal son, the original golden misfit, had returned. But McCrimmon didn’t bring Smith back to appease nostalgic fans– no, he knew exactly what he was doing.
McCrimmon didn’t just add a smart, talented player to the roster– he orchestrated a homecoming for the Golden Knights’ most loyal son.
Read More: Original Misfit Returns! Reilly Smith Reunited with Golden Knights
Few players embrace their city quite like Smith has. He fell in love with Vegas from day one, and that love never wavered– not even when McCrimmon shipped him off to Pittsburgh for a mere second-round pick.
All of that is in the past. Smith is back in Vegas gold and scoring big goals like he never left.
Reilly Smith’s three-year, $5 million contract expires this summer. With the salary cap going up, he could probably make a pretty penny in Free Agency.
Unless something has drastically changed, Smith has no interest in that.
Now, the postseason isn’t over yet for the Golden Knights. Now down 2-1 against the Edmonton Oilers, the odds are admittedly stacked against them. All of their focus will be on winning Game 4 on Monday. Until the Golden Knights are eliminated or win the Stanley Cup, thoughts of a new contract extension will be the furthest thing from Smith’s mind.
But he certainly deserves one.
AFPAnalytics projects Smith’s next contract extension to be two years in the range of $4.4 million. The Golden Knights can afford that. Even after extending Adin Hill, they have $9.615 million in salary cap space for the 2025-26 season.
Kelly McCrimmon made the mistake of letting Reilly Smith go once. He cannot afford to do so again.
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