Reilly Smith Fires Back on Rumors, ‘Totally Baseless’
CALGARY, Alberta — The rumors have grown so loud and so widely accepted as to become common knowledge, if not fact. You’ve heard the chatter that has been widespread for a couple of months: Pittsburgh Penguins winger Reilly Smith is unhappy in Pittsburgh.
Perhaps the only person who hasn’t heard that talk is the player himself.
Smith, 32, has heard the trade rumors. It’s hard not to. The other stuff caught him by surprise. In a conversation after practice at the Saddledome Friday, Pittsburgh Hockey Now gave Smith a chance to respond … to everything.
Smith initially was taken aback by the pointed question. There’s a great deal of talk that he’s unhappy in Pittsburgh and wants to return to the Vegas Golden Knights, where he was revered as an original Misfit and, as of last June, a Stanley Cup champion.
How did he respond? He gave the slightest snort and a disbelieving head tilt before beginning.
“I mean, I’d say it’s pretty baseless,” Smith said before a lengthy pause. “Just baseless opinions of people.”
Smith was sitting in his locker stall and had not yet taken off his skates when he agreed to talk. After calling the rumor baseless, his pause lasted for five seconds. As he shifted in his seat, his arms folded, he was at a loss for words.
His tone was brusque.
Smith has 25 points, including 10 goals, in 51 games, but six of those goals came in October. His lengthy dry spell further exacerbated the chatter surrounding Smith, drawing the unwanted attention for an otherwise quiet player.
Thursday night in Seattle, he shifted around the Penguins’ lineup. In Jake Guentzel’s absence because of injury, Smith has played with Sidney Crosby. By the third period Thursday, however, he was back on the third line with Lars Eller.
Goals haven’t been easy to come by since October, but Smith does have three points in his last five games, though just four goals in his last 40 games.
It’s easy to say things are untrue, and it would be foolish to ignore the possibility that Smith simply wouldn’t admit it, especially to a media member, but his physical reaction was part of the response.
Take it for what you will.
NHL Trade Deadline
Smith is being dangled ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
The other set of rumors, Smith has heard. Those, he can do nothing about and there probably is some truth to them. Multiple reputable national reporters have reported some level of interest from other teams.
Must Read: More Teams Interested in Acquiring Smith?
Trade rumors are a part of being an NHL player. After all, the Golden Knights dealt Smith to the Penguins last June. Smith didn’t push back on those rumors. Friends and family have sent them to him, and they’ve been inescapable, especially as they’ve surfaced in the largest Canadian national outlets.
“I think you’re aware of it. It’s kind of a weird time of year,” Smith told PHN. “But you just focus on what you can control, and a lot of that you can’t control. So there’s no point stressing about those things.”
Smith’s contract carries a $5 million average annual value through the end of next season. And yes, Vegas is one of the many teams looking for scoring help on the wings. The trade chatter, he can’t control.
The unhappiness with Pittsburgh or the desire to go back to Vegas, where he was quite popular and raised substantial sums for charity, is something he can control.
And he firmly said, not true.
Categorized:Penguins Penguins Locker Room
I’d like to trust Sully, but with both Rusty and Jake injured I would have expected Reilly to get a longer look with Sid. The line juggling Thursday night seemed almost panic driven.
Can he keep quiet and let every other team assume it’s he’s unhappy in pittsburgh rather than he’s a huge disappointment.. we’d like to get something for him rather than paying to get rid of him. I thought we were getting another Rust. Meaning someone who can score, play both special teams, and can be trusted to play in either end.. we did not get anything close to that. He and Graves have been much less than expected. Maybe vegas gives brisson for smith.. getting anything for either would be a positive.
I agree, those 2 have been disappointing. Acciari could probably score more if he didn’t have 2 anchors on his wings and his defense and penalty killing have been superb. Nieto hasn’t played enough for me to have an opinion on him. Karlsson has been himself except for on the pp. I can look past that because i would still rather have him than granlund, petry, and rutta. Learning curve and adjusting to a new team should be factored in with all the new guys, but at some point they will have to try to move on from underperforming players,… Read more »
HCBS is once again failing as a coach. He’s not maximizing the asset Acciari is as a winger. He’s a banger, not a don’t forget about playing defense center.