The NHL has announced a small rise in the salary cap to $88 million for next season, giving the Boston Bruins slightly under $23 million to try to enhance the roster. Don Sweeney, the Bruins’ general manager, is looking for a skilled centre, scoring forward, and left-handed defenceman. With the top-six centre being the most important and difficult of the three wants, the Bruins may explore at cheaper alternatives on the trade market to fill some gaps. Reilly Smith, a former Bruins right wing, is one name that has recently surfaced. The Pittsburgh Penguins have stated a desire to move the 33-year-old forward, and a return to Boston may be one option.
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Dallas selected Smith in the third round of the 2009 NHL Draft and moved him to Boston on July 4, 2013, as part of the Tyler Seguin transaction. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound forward spent two seasons with the Bruins, recording 33 goals and 58 assists in 163 regular-season games. Smith scored four goals in 12 playoff games for Boston and was regarded as a promising young talent. However, on July 1, 2015, over two years after acquiring Smith, the Bruins transferred him, along with Marc Savard’s contract, to Florida for Jimmy Hayes in one of Sweeney’s more controversial moves.
Smith scored 87 points in two seasons in Florida before going to Vegas, where he would play a vital role in the team’s 2023 Stanley Cup run. In 13 seasons, the Mimico, Ontario native has scored 213 goals and 300 assists in 840 regular-season games, as well as 79 postseason points in 106 games. Smith has been a consistent two-way forward and may be a valuable bottom-six veteran presence for Boston.
The issue could be with the contract. Boston would undoubtedly not want to pay $5 million next season for Smith, who scored 13 goals this year. However, some salary retention from Pittsburgh might facilitate a trade. A third-round pick and $2 million retained may provide Boston with a more manageable $3 million cap charge. There were concerns about Smith’s happiness in Boston, which underwent a complete rebuild in 2015 under Sweeney as general manager. However, this is a different government, with a new ruling group.
