A month into NHL free agency, the pool of unsigned veterans is still deep enough that teams can start kicking the tires on professional tryouts. For the Canadiens, that means there’s room to take a look at a player or two in training camp without any long-term commitment.
One name that fits that idea is Reilly Smith.
Smith is still on the market after posting 16 goals, 10 assists and 26 points in 69 games with the Vegas Golden Knights last season. It was a down year by his standards, but there’s enough track record here to make you pause before dismissing him. The veteran winger has shown he can still produce when things are going right.
Just look at the numbers he put up in the two seasons before that. In 2023-24 and 2024-25, Smith finished with 40 points in each campaign.
He also had 26 goals and 56 points in 78 games with Vegas in 2022-23. For a 15-year veteran, that kind of resume makes him a reasonable PTO candidate if Montreal wants to see what’s left in the tank.
If Smith earns a contract out of camp, he could slide into a useful role in the Canadiens’ bottom six. He’s not the top-six player he once was, but the appeal is obvious: a veteran forward who can still chip in secondary scoring and bring some experience to the group. The fact that he has also won the Stanley Cup only adds to the case for giving him a look.
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Even without a spot on the U.S. national team for recent international tournaments, Caufields production has put him squarely in the conversation for NHL Networks Top 20 Right Now Wingers list. His power-play touch and knack for scoring timely goals have made him one of the Canadiens most dangerous weapons, and the only real question now is how high the league is willing to place him among the games elite. [Read more 🡒]