Energy early in games has been lacking for the Vegas Golden Knights this season and GM Kelly McCrimmon took a step toward addressing this late Tuesday acquiring forward Cole Smith from the Nashville Predators.
Vegas has allowed the first goal 35 times out of 61 games this season and entered into the first intermission trailing by two or more goals on 11 occasions.
Smith will likely be inserted on the fourth line upon his arrival and immediately add to that group’s identity. The 30-year-old played a lot of hockey on the same line as Vegas center Colton Sissons when the pair were both with the Predators. He will also be reunited with defenseman Jeremy Lauzon.
Smith is 6-3, 195 pounds and is known for his fast, physical style. He finishes checks and plays a direct style.
Vegas sent prospect Christoffer Sedoff and a third-round pick in the 2028 draft to Nashville. Smith is expected to join the Golden Knights in Detroit on Wednesday.
Smith, 30, has appeared in 42 games this season for Nashville, recording 10 points (6 G, 4 A) with an average time on ice of 14:27. The forward has also added 119 hits over the 2025-26 campaign, tied for the second-highest total among the Predators, and owns a shorthanded ice time per game of 2:19 which stood as the second-highest total among Nashville’s forwards.
Smith played in 71 contests last season and posted 12 points (4 G, 8 A). The 2023-24 campaign included a career-high 23 points (9 G, 14 A) and +5 rating in 80 games for the forward.
The native of Brainerd, Minnesota, has appeared in 271 games in the NHL, all with Nashville. Prior to professional play, Smith played four seasons of NCAA hockey at the University of North Dakota, appearing in 137 games and recording 51 points (24 G, 27 A). During his final season of college hockey, Smith earned a career-high 18 points (11 G, 7 A) to help the Fighting Hawks win the NCHC's 2019-20 regular-season title. Smith signed with Nashville as a free agent in March of 2020.
