Reilly Smith remains unsigned as NHL training camps approach, one of the last notable names on a thin 2026 free agent board. The 35-year-old winger, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, has yet to find a fit for the 2026-27 season despite a résumé built on 15 years of NHL experience.
Smith’s market has been quiet all summer. He played through injuries last season, appearing in 69 games and posting 26 points, numbers well below his career norms. Oddsmakers on the 1xBet app list the Vegas Golden Knights among the favorites to win the 2027 Stanley Cup, a status that keeps Vegas squarely in the conversation as Smith weighs where he wants to finish his career. The Golden Knights sit in that championship tier again this season, and Smith’s history with the franchise gives him an obvious path back if he wants one more shot at a title.
Smith spent parts of two different stints with Vegas, first from 2017-18 through 2022-23 and again after a trade-deadline return in March 2025. He helped the Golden Knights win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 2023 and has 143 goals and 180 assists across his two runs in the desert. That connection, paired with a market that has produced few takers, points toward Vegas as the most logical outcome.
Why Vegas Makes Sense
The Golden Knights know exactly what they get with Smith. He signed a one-year, two-million-dollar deal last summer that included a full no-trade clause, a sign of how much the front office values his presence in the room. General manager Kelly McCrimmon has leaned on Smith as a steady third-line winger who kills penalties and mentors younger forwards, roles that don’t show up in a box score but matter to a team built for another long playoff push.
Vegas has cap flexibility for a depth deal, and Smith has already shown he’ll take a team-friendly number to stay. Analysts projecting his next contract have pegged it in the range of one million to 1.4 million dollars for a single season, well within what the Golden Knights could absorb without disrupting their roster. If Smith wants to chase another Cup, Vegas remains the shortest path.
Other Teams That Could Call
A handful of clubs searching for cheap, experienced bottom-six help could still make a run at Smith before camps open. None carries the history Vegas does, but each has a real need he could fill.
The Boston Bruins, where Smith began his career in 2013, have used professional tryouts to fill out camp rosters in recent years and could see him as a low-risk depth option. The New York Rangers, who acquired Smith at the 2024 trade deadline before he moved on, know his two-way game firsthand and could use another veteran winger if injuries hit their forward group early. The Pittsburgh Penguins, his other recent stop, remain in a similar spot, needing affordable veterans who can still contribute on the wing while the roster transitions. None of these teams is considered a cup contender by 1xBet Canada, nor do they offer the same fit as Vegas.
Retirement Remains a Real Possibility
The longer Smith goes unsigned, the more retirement enters the conversation. He turned 35 in April, and last season marked the first time injuries seriously limited his role. A career built on 26 goals and 58 assists in his best individual seasons has given way to a smaller, complementary part, and not every veteran wants to play that role on a minimum contract.
Smith has earned nearly 53 million dollars over his career and has nothing left to prove after winning a Cup with Vegas in 2023. If the right offer doesn’t come by the time camps open in September, stepping away instead of accepting a tryout invite would surprise no one around the league.
For now, Smith remains patient, and so does the market. Vegas stays the favorite if he wants to keep playing, but the decision may ultimately come down to whether he wants to keep playing at all.
