Smith became one of the “Golden Misfits” when the Golden Knights acquired him from the Florida Panthers in a trade during the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft process. They went to the Stanley Cup Final in their first season, remained a Cup contender afterward and finished the job last season.
In Vegas history, Smith ranks second in goals (124), fourth in assists (162) and third in points (286) in the regular season and fifth in goals (18), first in assists (48) and second in points (66) in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He had 56 points (26 goals, 30 assists) in 78 games last season and 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 22 playoff games.
The 32-year-old was traded to Pittsburgh on June 28 due largely to the salary cap. He joined a team with a core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang that won the Cup in 2009, 2016 and 2017. The Penguins would acquire Erik Karlsson, who won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman last season for the third time, from the San Jose Sharks on Aug. 6.
“It’s such a different change for me,” Smith said. “It almost couldn’t be any more opposite side of the spectrum than when I started with Vegas six years ago and a bunch of guys who pretty much were misfits or whatever you want to call it, guys that teams didn’t really want.
“You come to a team where you have probably, like, the most storied players of the last 20 years, a lot of them on one team. There’s always things you can pick up and get better for yourself. I feel like I’ve played a lot, and I haven’t even touched the surface compared to some of these other guys. So it’s just trying to be a sponge and have open eyes every day coming to the rink.”
Smith is playing with Malkin, a center who has won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s scoring champion twice, the Hart Trophy as the League’s most valuable player and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs MVP, among other things.
Malkin said Smith is skilled and smart, but they probably need a little bit of time to “understand each other.” Smith said Malkin can be hard to read because he’s so good one on one.
“I’m always, like, trying to support and help out someone, and a lot of the times, he doesn’t need the help,” Smith said with a laugh. “So it’s trying to find that balance of when you can be a good support valve, and when he doesn’t need it, you just get open. And I’m sure that’ll change from game to game, but it’s just picking up those reads a little bit faster. Right now, I think I’m not fast enough to be in the right spot.”
Smith isn’t on the first power play, which had Crosby, Malkin, Karlsson and forwards Jake Guentzel and Rickard Rakell at practice Monday. But he’s on the second unit, which had Letang and forwards Jeff Carter, Jansen Harkins and Bryan Rust on Monday.
“I’m hoping [the first unit puts] the puck in the net every single time so we don’t have to go out there, which could be a possibility with those guys,” Smith said. “It’s a cool experience, and it’s great to be able to play with those guys.”
Smith’s teammates know he has earned a ring, even if he hasn’t gotten it yet. The first thing Malkin said about him was that he’s a “Stanley Cup winner.” Crosby mentioned it too.
“He’s just a good all-around player,” Crosby said. “He does everything well. He sees the ice well. He’s got a great shot. He’s really responsible at both ends of the ice. He’s a solid player. Obviously, he’s a winner, and he’s proven that, so he brings a lot to our group.”
Smith sees the possibility of being part of another championship team.
“The potential’s always the Stanley Cup, especially when you have the personnel that we have in this locker room,” he said. “I don’t think that’s a far goal to chase, at least to believe in that.
“One thing that I was really happy about when I got traded was, I was moved to a team that was in win-now mode. That’s something you don’t get with every single team in the NHL.”
