Rangers hoping Reilly Smith is good fit to play with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider
Rangers right wing Reilly Smith skates during training camp at the team's training facility in Greenburgh, N.Y., on Saturday. Credit: Neil Miller
It’s been a years-long search for Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, the two longest-tenured Rangers, to find the right guy to skate with them on the top forward line. There’s been a revolving door of right wings who’d taken turns with the duo since Pavel Buchnevich was traded away in the summer of 2021.
This year, the organization is hoping that 33-year-old Reilly Smith, who was acquired in a July 1 trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, can lock down that spot and provide some stability. Smith, the younger brother of former Ranger defenseman Brendan Smith, suited up alongside Kreider and Zibanejad Tuesday in the preseason home opener against the Islanders.
“I think the most important thing for me to try to gel with them is just playing fast,’’ Smith said. “Get up and down the ice as fast as possible. ‘Kreids,’ he gets out of the zone and it seems like he's looking for a breakaway or pushing the ‘D’ back on every single play. So that's awesome. I love being able to play with someone who's like that.
“And Mika, he's so good with the puck and he's able to make space plays,’’ he continued. “He's able to jump in the middle of the ice and then also finish. They're two really skilled players that add such a dynamic to the game.’’
In all, eight different players started at least one game at right wing with Kreider and Zibanejad last season. Kaapo Kakko got the first crack at it, but he never clicked with them. He was replaced by veteran Blake Wheeler.
Jonny Brodzinski played three games in the spot, Will Cuylle got one, and Jimmy Vesey filled in for a few games after Wheeler suffered a season-ending knee injury. Trade deadline acquisition Jack Roslovic was plugged in there after he came over from Columbus, but the results were underwhelming. Filip Chytil and Alex Wennberg played there during the Eastern Conference finals as Laviolette tried desperately to find some kind of spark against the Florida Panthers.
After a few practices together early in training camp, Zibanejad is optimistic Smith can be the right fit.
“I feel like it could be something good,’’ Zibanejad said. “Obviously, we get the game tonight to kind of, hopefully play well and get a win. (Afterward), we still get the game to be able to talk about, and to look through the video and talk to each other and just kind of get familiar with each other, and see what we can do better, what we did well in the game, and try to build on that.’’
“I'd like it to be a good line,’’ coach Peter Laviolette said. “They’re three good players. And it's new, so you don't know. But there's a starting point, I think, for everything. And you find out if things work, or they don't work.’’
Tuesday's lineup
The lineup for Tuesday's game included eight forwards and four defensemen expected to be in the opening night lineup, as well as goaltenders Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick. Forwards Filip Chytil, Jake Leschyshyn and Brennan Othmann all played their second game after playing in the preseason opener Sunday in Boston. D K’Andre Miller and C Sam Carrick have yet to play in the preseason … D Matthew Robertson (lower body), G Talyn Boyko (upper body) and C Ryder Korczak (upper body) did not practice. All are considered day-to-day.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
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