You Rangers Fans have a right to know; yes, you do.
Chris Drury went fishing this summer but we’re still not sure whether the Reilly Smith he pulled in is a three-inch sunfish or a string of pearls.
Let’s start with the fact that Smitty scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal for Vegas two years ago. (That’s worth at least one cartwheel of joy.)
Discounting last season – de-pitted in Pitt – the guy has enjoyed a healthy NHL career including Dallas, Boston, Florida, Vegas and – not the Penguins.
Looking at Smith from another prism you might legitimately ask, how come five teams dumped him? Why couldn’t he even stick with the Cup Champs?
OR, you can follow The Maven’s lead and check with someone in Pennsylvania who’s been watching the Reilly Revue.
My personal Pitt spy, Vince Comunale, had Smith under his microscope all last season. Here’s what he told The Maven.
“The Smith experiment started out well enough, but ended in disaster,” said Comunale. “He started the season playing on Geno Malkin’s wing and recorded 11 points in his first 10 games. However, he would record only 29 more points in his final 65 games.”
If that doesn’t scare you, how about this? From last November 7 through December 6 Smith collected a big fat two points in 15 games. And that, playing in a top-six role.
Comunale: “As the season went on, rumor swirled that Smith was not happy in Pittsburgh and his heart still was in Vegas. By the trade deadline it was widely known that GM Kyle Dubas was shopping Smith. Either he couldn’t find a taker or didn’t like the deal.”
One redeeming factor was that Reilly wound up with a Plus-3 for the season. (He was minus in only two of his 13 NHL seasons.)
“He was good on the penalty kill,” said Vince,”and played a very disciplined game, winding up with only 18 penalty minutes.”
Bad News: “He was just not a good fit.”
Good News: “In Vegas he was a good player among a group of great players. Seemingly, he’ll be back in a similar situation with the Rangers.”
The Maven’s Bottom Line: “Smith is 33 and on the way out. I predict that he’ll wind up on the third line. I say it’s 60-40 against his being the “missing piece.”
