BREAKING: Golden Knights Learn From Mistakes, Re-Sign Smith

In the summer of 2023, the Vegas Golden Knights made a dreadful mistake: they traded Reilly Smith to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Barely a week had passed since they won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, but that didn’t matter. The Golden Knights only care about winning, and they saw Smith as a necessary cap casualty.

They’ve since righted that wrong. 

At the 2025 Trade Deadline, the Golden Knights reacquired Smith from the New York Rangers. And on Wednesday, Elliotte Friedman announced that they’d extended him.

Few players around the league take a true home-town discount to stay with their team. After signing a one-year deal for just $2 million, Reilly Smith is now one of those players. The contract includes a No Trade Clause.

This extension shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. When Smith met with the media at the end of the season, he repeated that he wanted to stay in Vegas. He acknowledged that hockey is a business but expressed a desire to find a deal that worked for both sides.

Read More: Smith Desperate to Remain Golden Knight; Willing to Compromise

And it’s clear why: he loves Las Vegas. During his exit interview, Smith openly admitted that he played his best hockey in Sin City. Thus, he expressed a desire to stay in Vegas and play his 1,000th game wearing a Golden Knights jersey.

This is truly a deal that works for both sides. The Golden Knights are up against the cap and now have just $7.615 million remaining. However, re-signing Smith was the right move. He’s the Original Golden Misfit and a loyal soldier. He perfectly fits into this team’s system, and he bleeds gold.

This extension shows that the Golden Knights have learned from their mistakes. Trading Smith in the first place was bad enough; losing him twice would have been devastating.

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