BREAKING: Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire Reilly Smith From Golden Knights

In a surprising move, the Pittsburgh Penguins are reportedly set to acquire Stanley Cup-winning forward Reilly Smith from the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Penguins are sending back a 2024 third-round pick in exchange for Smith.

Smith is signed through the 2024-25 season and his contract carries an average annual value of $5 million.

The Golden Knights are trading Reilly Smith to the Penguins for a third-round pick, per @KevinWeekes pic.twitter.com/2WfAe7De8W

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 28, 2023

The 32-year-old is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, racking up 26 goals and 56 total points across 78 games played, his highest point total since the 2017-18 season, his first in a Vegas uniform.

It's a big move for the Penguins, who narrowly missed out on a postseason berth this past season, finishing fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a 40-31-11 record and 91 points.

**Breaking News** 🚨 📰
I’m told the @GoldenKnights are trading F Reilly Smith to @penguins for a 3rd Rd Draft Pick. @espn @NHL @NHLNetwork @DKSportsbook @TSNHockey #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/939VKLtejf

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) June 28, 2023

With an old, but still talented, core, the Penguins are in win-now mode before, what ultimately seems like, a rebuild in the near future.

The addition of Smith should certainly help their chances of reaching the postseason next year.

Over his 12-year career, the strong two-way player has amassed 200 goals and 473 points across 764 games played.
Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports