Golden Knights trade Brendan Brisson for Original Misfit Reilly Smith

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Reilly Smith (19) skates with the Stanley Cup Trophy after the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 to win the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. Photo by Steve Marcus

While Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said this trade deadline was going to be a quiet one, Vegas made a splash a day before the deadline.

The Golden Knights traded forward Brendan Brisson and a 2025 third-round draft pick to the New York Rangers for forward Reilly Smith, an Original Misfit — one of the players on the team’s first-year roster.

Vegas doesn't take a large salary cap hit in acquiring Smith, picking up an annual hit of $1.875 million with the new contract.

With William Karlsson ($5.9 million) still on long-term injured reserve, the Golden Knights have about $6.4 million left in cap space with a little over 24 hours left before the trade deadline. 

Smith played with the Golden Knights for six seasons from 2017 to 2023, playing in 487 games and recording 319 points.

He had a whopping 22 points in 20 playoff games during the Golden Knights' run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018.

The Golden Knights wanted to keep Smith. He signed a three-year, $15 million contract with an annual hit of $5 million that would have expired this season if they hadn't traded him.

He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins following the Golden Knights' Stanley Cup championship in June 2023.

McCrimmon said Vegas traded in Smith to lock down a contract with Ivan Barbashev. Moving Smith cleared up cap space, and Barbashev signed a five-year, $25 million contract.

During the 2023-24 season, Smith recorded 27 points in 76 games with the Penguins. He was then traded to New York this past off-season for two draft picks. This season, with the Rangers, Smith has 29 points in 58 games.

Vegas has been looking for one more stable piece that it can put at wing and not have to cycle through call-ups from Henderson.

Raphael Lavoie was the latest piece at the fourth-line winger spot, suffering an upper-body injury against the Maple Leafs on Wednesday and leaving the game early.

Adding Smith to the mix gives the Golden Knights four full lines without minor-league call-ups. He's a veteran piece who can be put in various spots in the lineup, similar to Brandon Saad.

Brisson was one of the players predicted to be possible trade bait.

The Golden Knights expected him to be a regular on the fourth line, but he has underperformed, recording no points in nine games.

He only played 15 games last season but had eight points in that stretch.