PITTSBURGH – In the early portion of the 2023-24 season, Reilly Smith seemed like a quality addition to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup. Smith and Evgeni Malkin rolled as one of the best offensive pairs on the Penguins, but things have since soured.
After scoring 11 points in the first 10 games of the year, Smith has gone on multiple lengthy scoring droughts, plummeting his production. In the following 41 games, Smith has only picked up four goals and 14 total points.
While trade talks regarding Smith have hit new highs, his status with the Penguins has hit a new low. Head coach Mike Sullivan benched Smith for the game's final five minutes as the Penguins looked to crawl back from being down 2-0 to the Seattle Kraken.
The Penguins couldn’t battle back in the final moments, eventually losing 2-0, but Smith was not part of the push. Smith was on the ice for the second Kraken goal before finding a spot on the bench for the remainder of the game.
Smith started the last couple of games on the first line with Sidney Crosby thanks to injuries to Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust, but Sullivan has seemingly had enough. Smith played six shifts in the final frame, while Drew O’Connor and Lars Eller saw their names called for the top line.
Even with the extra attacker on for the Penguins, Smith was glued to the bench.
Teams have expressed an interest in Smith, and at this point, it might be in everyone’s best interest to get him out of Pittsburgh. Smith never warmed to the idea of leaving the Vegas Golden Knights, and things continue to sink with the Penguins.
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