Is Reilly Smith a realistic option for the Colorado Avalanche in 2024-25?

The Colorado Avalanche have been linked to Pittsburgh Penguins forward Reilly Smith. The 33-year old Smith was traded from the Vegas Golden Knights to the Penguins last year, and he currently has one year remaining on his contract.

Smith has never put up a 30-goal season in his career, which began in 2011-12 with the Dallas Stars. For me, that is a bit of a concern. While goaltender Alexandar Georgiev finished the season with the most wins in the NHL, it is obvious that this team is craving more goals per game.

One of the problems, as I’ve stated several times, is that the Avalanche don’t know what is going to happen with Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin. They also have to look at extending Mikko Rantanen this year, which eats up more future money.

On his current deal, Smith is making $5 million per year. He’s on the last year of his current contract and the Avalanche would have to decide on whether or not to extend him. If they are going to bother making a trade for him—giving up assets—then of course signing Smith to an extension becomes a priority.

Another issue is that Smith is 33-years old. His next contract, unless a one-year deal, is likely his last contract and he could want more money than the Colorado Avalanche would be willing to pay.

I think that the Avalanche only have enough space for one expensive signing. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Jonathan Drouin will be the priority. That being said, if Drouin signs elsewhere, maybe the Avalanche do circle back on the idea of signing Smith.

It is possible that Smith doesn’t get moved until well into the season. If that is the case, the Avalanche will have a clear idea about their current roster situation and could decide whether or not the addition of Smith is feasible. I’m not against the idea of trading for Smith but the compensation would be interesting.