The Toronto Maple Leafs have emerged as a potential destination for New York Rangers forward Reilly Smith, who has been held out of games recently for trade-deadline reasons.
Sporstnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the Rangers will try to move Smith to an American team, which makes a move to the Maple Leafs hard to envision unless he has not added Toronto, a bonafide contender, to his eight-team no-trade list.
The appeal of playing for a Stanley Cup challenger, however, could swing Smith's opinion on a move to a Canadien team.
Daily FaceOff's Frank Seravalli suggested the veteran winger could be a fit if the Maple Leafs secure a center first, which is the team's most glaring need.
“New York held out Smith for trade-related protection over the weekend,” Seravalli said. “Smith is a proven playoff performer. The Penguins have already retained on Smith, but the Rangers can chop him in half one more time.
"It would make a lot of sense for the Maple Leafs to bring him home to Toronto and add a little Cup pedigree to their room and third line. But they have to get a center first.
"I just think he's a tremendous add at a not expensive price."
Smith, 33, has 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 58 games this season and carries a cap hit of $3.75 million following the aforementioned retention, with his contract set to expire on July 1.
The Maple Leafs, however, have less than $1 million in cap space, making any trade difficult without further salary retention by the Rangers and sending someone the other way, something that is still uncertain in terms of whether or not it will happen.
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