Rangers Cup champion refuses trade to Canadian team

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New York Rangers Cup champion reportedly refuses trade to Canadian team

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated Mar 5, 2025 4:33 PM ET

Reilly Smith appears to be on the move from the New York Rangers, and now his no-trade clause has revealed absolutely no desire to move to Canada, with his eight-team no-trade list showing a clear preference for his future.

The New York Rangers have already made some huge trades this season, and with the deadline just days away, it appears as though veteran forward Reilly Smith may be on the move as well.

The former Stanley Cup Champion has played in Dallas, Boston, Florida, Vegas, Pittsburgh and now New York in his career dating back to 2011, and while he's performed well everywhere he's been, he's often been a key piece moved at the trade deadline.

On Sunday, Smith was held out of the Rangers matchup with the Nashville Predators, with the assumption that he's going to be traded in the next few days.

Now, Elliotte Friedman has revealed some new information about Smith, noting that in his partial (8 team) no-trade clause, seven of those teams are all the Canadian franchises in the NHL, with Smith clearly not wanting to play north of the border.

It's unclear which U.S. team on his list would be, but that still gives the Rangers 22 teams to move the 33-year-old forward, with his 10 goals and 29 points in 58 games showing that he can still be a solid contributor at the NHL level.

While Smith has a $5 million cap hit this season, that can easily be retained on by the Rangers or a third-party, and with his contract up this offseason, he's a perfect buy-low rental for a Stanley Cup contender, so while Canada is out, there's still plenty of contenders that could use his services moving forward.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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