Exclusive | Rangers Reilly Smith thought his NHL career was over before memorable Vegas tenure
LAS VEGAS — There was a lot of nostalgia that naturally came with Reilly Smith’s first time playing at T-Mobile Arena since winning his first Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights two seasons ago. In reflecting on his six years in Vegas, however, the 33-year-old forward considers so much more than his championship ring: his expansion draft-day trade from the Panthers; the feeling in the Golden Knights’ locker room at the start; the journey he and his teammates went on to become the first team to deliver Lord Stanley to the Strip in Sin City. “I thought my career was over,” Smith told The Post of his initial thoughts coming to Vegas, after the Rangers’ morning skate Saturday.“It was kind of, at that time, it didn’t seem like a good opportunity.
It almost seemed like a demotion.How it turned out was completely different than that.
And it couldn’t have been better for my career, my family and everything.I owe a lot to this organization here.
It really changed my hockey career and my life. “Being part of that expansion draft was a blessing in disguise.But I think the coolest part of it was just a lot of people who were thrown off and cast away from their own team came together, and we were all just on an even slate coming into the season, and we all just wanted to enjoy it and make the most of the opportunity.” Smith described a nervousness to start the NHL era in Vegas, but the players in the room had a lot in common with how they felt about their departures from their previous teams. Players felt cast aside and wanted to be better for it, Smith said, noting that they used it as fuel and became a very tight-knit group because of it. On the backs of players who felt they had something to prove, the Golden Knights ultimately made it to the Cup Final in their inaugural 2017-18 season, when they lost to the Capitals in five games. Smith was certainly one of them; it can be heard in his voice when he talks about it. “I remember winning our ...