Reilly Smith and the lower lines haven't done much for the Vegas Golden Knights this season. For the Original Misfit, he only has one goal and one assist in 13 games. Mind you, that goal was against the San Jose Sharks and was off a goaltender blunder.
Still, you take those when you can get them. After all, we are in a competitive society. Still, Smith isn't the only lower-line player that's struggling, though.
Brandon Saad only has two assists in 13 games. Keegan Kolesar is lagging behind his career-high pace from last season with just two assists himself. That's not even mentioning Colton Sissons, who only has one assist in 11 games. Overall, the lower lines are hurting.
But let's focus on Smith for a second. He's not far off from his solid 2024-25 campaign, where he scored 13 goals and 27 assists with the Golden Knights and the New York Rangers. That's good for production on such units, which should correct towards the mean.
That's one reason why he should rise towards the mean in the upcoming months. However, there are other reasons why he'll excel in the next 30 days, specifically in other areas.
Why Reilly Smith is due to help out the Vegas Golden Knights in a big way
First, let's hop into the ol' MoneyPuck machine and check out some stats. That starts with the Shooting Talent Above Average, where Smith is doubling his stats from last season. In 2024-25, he had a stat of 0.6% in this category. This season? 1.2%.
Obviously, you shouldn't expect the Original Misfit to go to his earlier Golden Knights days, where he was posting stats of 4.1% (2021-22) or 3.8% (2020-21). However, it's a promising sign that he's due to get some points on the board, specifically since he had 13 goals last season.
But we must also look at how he's not generating his points. For example, is he setting up rebounds for his teammates?
In fact, he doesn't have a single rebound created this season. You can also say the same thing for his fellow Misfit, Shea Theodore, who has only one rebound created. Smith has some catching up to do if he wants to reach last season's total (17). Mind you, his xRebounds created were 8.9, making for a Rebounds Created Above Expected of 8.1.
Whatever the case, that number should also go up. It's not that Smith isn't doing anything of substance yet. It's just that he hasn't gotten into that groove yet. Once he gets into creating rebounds (like Theodore should, too), the points should roll in.
Smith's emergence should also help the Golden Knights' lower lines
Smith might be 34 years old, which is a terrible age to be as an athlete. That means players progressively regressing (doesn't that sound ironic?) and losing their athletic abilities they once had. However, the Original Misfit can still carve out a prominent role based on his hockey IQ alone.
He's been solid at creating rebounds and picking apart opposing defenses. Smith can read when a forecheck's coming and attack accordingly, making him a dangerous player.
If he goes back to the basics that made him one of the most reliable Golden Knights, that will help the lower lines. In fact, it could help him become productive again. After all, we all need to help ourselves now and then, you know? Gotta work great from home.