Former Michigan standout forward Brendan Brisson is getting a fresh start with the New York Rangers.

The Vegas Golden Knights, who drafted Brisson with the No. 29 overall selection in 2020, traded him and a third-round pick in this year’s draft to the Rangers on Thursday for forward Reilly Smith.

Smith, a 33-year-old veteran with 542 points in 898 career games, returns to Vegas, where he spent six seasons and won the Cup in 2023, while Brisson heads to organization where there is more of a path to playing time.

The Golden Knights lead the Pacific Division with a 37-18-6 record, while the Rangers have traded away several regulars in their lineup despite being tied for the final Wild Card spot in the East.

Since turning pro after his sophomore season with the Wolverines in 2022, Brisson, 23, has spent most of his time in the American Hockey League. The 6-foot, 198-pounder has played 24 NHL games over the past two seasons but hasn’t produced offensively at the same clip as in the minors. He had two goals and six assists for the Golden Knights but didn’t record any points in nine games with the NHL club this season.

For the Henderson Silver Knights in the AHL, Brisson, the son of prominent NHL agent Pat Brisson, tallied five goals and 14 assists in 45 games this season. He had 37 goals and 75 points in 110 AHL games the previous two years.

At Michigan, the California native was a part of two teams stacked with NHL talent. He had 21 goals and 21 assists in 38 games in 2021-22, helping a Wolverines squad with a NCAA-record seven first-round picks on the roster reach the Frozen Four.

Brisson is a restricted free agent after this season. The trade deadline is 3 p.m. Friday.