The New York Rangers’ biggest acquisition this summer was Reilly Smith and he’s been proving his worth.
Over the course of training camp and the preseason, Smith has been playing on a line alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.
Smith chemistry has been steadily growing with these two star forwards as he’s looked better and better as time has gone on.
“Obviously offensive I want to produce and be diligently defensively at the same time,” Smith said. “I think both of those players compliment my game and I want to do the same for those guys. Chemistry is something that doesn’t happen overnight, you gotta keep on building and keep on kind of pushing to get better every day and I think we are doing that. Taking it day-by-day, but I think we are on the right track.”
Smith doesn’t just bring offensive firepower, but he also carries over Stanley Cup pedigree, something the Rangers could desperately use.
The 33-year-old forward is one of the only players on the Rangers to have won a Stanley Cup. He can use that knowledge he picked up during his Stanley Cup run with the Vegas Golden Knights to become a mentor in the locker room.
“I think any experience you get in the NHL goes a long way,” Smith said. “If you are not using that experience, you are kind of wasting your time. To win a Stanley Cup you learn a lot of things down the road…”
On top of playing on the Rangers’ first line, Smith has served a role on the power play during practices and preseason games, so it seems that Peter Laviolette is gearing up to give the veteran forward a substantial role.
For anyone entering a new environment, it takes time to get adjusted to. Smith has found it easy to get used to the New York lifestyle and already feels incorporated into the Rangers organization.
“The adjustment has been pretty easy,” Smith said. “The organization has been great to us. It’s nice to have a couple guys that I have played with before and know, just ask day-to-day questions, where to go eat and stuff like that.
“I tried to show up to camp here pretty early. I had a couple months to get adjusted for myself and my family and that helps a lot. For me everything has been smooth for transition and definitely helps to just focus on hockey.”
It’s all fun and games now, but soon the real work will begin for Smith as he seems fully prepared to take on any challenges that are thrown his way.
