Upon lifting the Stanley Cup and taking his own personal twirl, Mark Stone knew exactly where hockey’s most coveted trophy was going next and that was into the hands of Reilly Smith.
A charter member of the Golden Misfits and a huge piece of the history VGK broadcaster Dan D’Uva encapsulated with this Cup winning call, “A devotion to destiny, from Misfits to champions,” Smith is back with the Golden Knights.
Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon swung a deal on Thursday sending prospect Brendan Brisson and a 2025 third round draft pick to the New York Rangers in exchange for Smith.
McCrimmon traded Smith to the Pittsburgh Penguins shortly after the Cup victory in a move which opened up cap space required to extend goalie Adin Hill and winger Ivan Barbashev.
“We’re proud that he leaves a Stanley Cup champion,” McCrimmon said at the time. “He is going to get a good opportunity in Pittsburgh. I know that he will do well.”
When the Golden Knights arrived in Washington early the next season to be feted at the White House, Smith joined the team for the day and was part of the festivities.
The business of hockey is the business of hockey but there was never any suggestion that Smith wasn’t an integral member of the Golden Knights.
In 399 games over six seasons with Vegas, Smith totaled 124 goals and 286 points.
The Rangers retained 50 percent of Smith’s salary and his cap hit is now down to $1.875 million.
Where he fits now will be up to Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy. So far this season, Smith has scored 10 goals and 29 points through 58 games.
Happy Howden
The last time Brett Howden scored 20 goals he didn’t have a house or a family. He was riding the bus with the Moose Jaw Warriors and Kenny Chesney’s ‘Get Along’ was on repeat as he and his teammates made their way up and down Saskatchewan’s stretch of the Trans Canada Highway that spring of 2018.
Now, in his seventh pro season, Howden is closing in on 20 goals and having the best campaign of his NHL career. Wednesday night’s 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs featured Howden doing a little bit of everything for the Golden Knights including flipping a backhand shot into the net for his career best 17th marker of the season.
“No. No. Not at all,” said Howden, when asked if reaching 20 goals was on his mind prior to the his season. “I had never hit double digits in goals before and that’s been a goal of mine. Everyone has personal goals and there have been seasons where I thought I could get to double digits and I didn’t. So that’s always been a goal of mine. A little more opportunity and confidence have helped. But getting 20 (goals) was not in the back of my mind.”
While those Saskatchewan highways can often be a straight line, Howden’s life in hockey has had its curves and ups and downs.
Selected 27th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft, Howden was on the move to the New York Rangers in 2018 while still playing junior hockey in the Western Hockey League.
Life with the Rangers was difficult and Howden never found traction in New York. Getting into just 42 games in the 2019-20 season, Howden managed a single goal and six assists.
Enter McCrimmon who sent a 4th round pick and the rights to Nick DeSimone to the Rangers for Howden. When asked at the time why he was trading for Howden, McCrimmon responded, “I’m betting on the person.”
McCrimmon, longtime owner/operation of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings knew of Howden from their shared time in the province of Manitoba and the WHL.
Howden’s game progressed in Vegas and his coming out party came in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2023 as he scored five goals and five assists in 22 games.
Standing on the ice and surrounded by his family, Howden got more than a little misty when discussing his journey from smalltown Manitoba to lifting the Cup.
“I just can’t believe it,” he managed. “I’m so thankful. Kelly believed in me. From where my career was to where I am now, this is hard to believe.”
Howden has continued to progress and the 26-year-old signed a five-year, $12.5 million extension on Nov. 22 of 2024. Wednesday’s goal got him to 30 points on the season which is also a career high.
“With Karly (William Karlsson) out he’s become that much more important. He’s always been a piece of our team that we rely on because we use him in different roles. Checking and he adds some offense, can play center or left wing, big part of the penalty kill,” said VGK coach Bruce Cassidy. “He isn’t on the power play but you could certainly make an argument that he should be. But we have lots of guys in those positions that don’t kill so we try to balance things out. This is a year where he’s had some real growth. We discussed it at the start of the year with some guys leaving the room, he looks around and says, ‘geez, I’ve been in this room for a while and I can be more of a voice.’ So that’s one thing. The he gets a chance to play a bit more because of injuries and now his numbers are growing. He’s just a very confident player right now and we need it. He’s been a big part of our team since Day 1.”
Cassidy centered Howden out during training camp for his fitness. With players leaving and entering a contract year, Howden saw opportunity and put some added pressure on himself to prepare for success.
“I feel confident for sure. I think my game has really grown this year. I think I’ve gotten more opportunity and that helps,” said Howden. “I think I’ve taken advantage of some of the opportunity I’ve been given and built confidence. We’re surrounded by great players here whether I’m playing wing or center there are a lot of easy players to play with. Right now I’m playing with Barbie (Ivan Barbashev) and Kollie (Keegan Kolesar) and look at the play Barbie made on my goal with the poise to with the puck to let me get open and then to find me. I think having more of a net mentality and attacking the net has helped me this year too.”
