Reilly Smith doesn’t want to leave Las Vegas again.

It’s not just because the Original Misfit wants to stay with the Golden Knights. It’s the packing and unpacking that worries him — especially the latter.

“I now have these boxes that haven’t been opened from the time that I left,” Smith said. “They’ve gone to Pittsburgh and New York, now back to Las Vegas. I don’t even know what’s in them anymore. I’m a little bit scared to open them because then if I open them, I don’t want to have to box them back up again and keep traveling.”

Smith would love to unpack those boxes in Las Vegas for good.

The 34-year-old right wing, who was traded back to the Knights in March in a deal with the New York Rangers, is set to be an unrestricted free agent July 1.

He was first acquired in a trade with the Florida Panthers during the 2017 expansion draft. He spent six years with the Knights and helped them lift the Stanley Cup in 2023.

Smith was traded that offseason to the Pittsburgh Penguins, just one year into a three-year, $15 million extension he signed in July 2022.

That deal expires this summer.

“If there’s an opportunity to stay here, that’d be great,” Smith said. “I think I play well for this team. I think the best hockey that I’ve played through my career has been wearing this jersey. It’s a fun group to be a part of. It’s a fun place to call home. My family loves it here. If there’s a way to make it work, that’d be great.”

Just business

Smith understands the NHL is a business. He learned that two years ago.

The Knights shed his $5 million cap hit and then gave a five-year, $25 million extension to left wing Ivan Barbashev, who was part of the team’s top line during its Stanley Cup run.

But Smith never fully left Las Vegas. He never even sold his house. He moved right back in when he was acquired before the trade deadline this year because the people that were renting it left two weeks prior.

“It was a lot of fun,” Smith said. “Coming back here and playing on a team that had a lot of purpose, a lot of familiar faces, structure that I think brings the best game out of me, it made for a fun few months.”

Smith showed he still had plenty to offer on the ice as well.

He may not be the same player that scored 297 points in 420 games his first stint with the franchise. But it looked like he never left once he put his Knights jersey back on.

He scored 11 points in 21 games after his midseason trade, then added three goals in 11 playoff games. That included the dramatic late winner in Game 3 of the Knights’ second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers with 0.4 seconds remaining.

“The first game I came back, I felt like there was a light switch that turned back on,” Smith said. “Maybe (it’s) the structure and the familiarity of the players, but I feel there’s predictability in my game here that helps them play faster. I think it’s a combination of a lot of things. I do think it brings a better brand of hockey out of me.”

Rekindle the magic

It helped that Smith was reunited with a longtime linemate and fellow Original Misfit in center William Karlsson after returning to the Knights.

Their chemistry played a huge role in Smith’s production. Smith’s buzzer beater against the Oilers doesn’t happen without the two of them reading off each other perfectly.

“Very excited to be back and to be put together on the same line,” Karlsson said. “Tried a lot of difficult plays that weren’t working all the time, but I think after a while we were more straight-lined and found our groove again. I think the chemistry came back.”

Karlsson tried to be even-keeled when asked about what it meant to play with Smith again after the Knights season ended. But defenseman Alex Pietrangelo knew how Karlsson really felt.

“They were very excited to see each other,” Pietrangelo said, smiling wide. “That’s what he wants to say.”

Karlsson laughed, then agreed with Pietrangelo.

“I feel like it was like (Smith) never left,” Karlsson said. “He came back and did a tremendous job for us.”

Running it back

Smith’s last-second goal in Game 3 was the final one the Knights scored this postseason. They were shut out in Games 4 and 5 by Edmonton and eliminated.

Smith still believes the Knights will be in the hunt again next year and would like to be part of the chase. He feels at home in Las Vegas, where people walking down the street have said, “Welcome home Reilly” to him.

He’s established roots in the city. He helped start the Knights annual charity softball game against the Raiders. He and his wife Melissa welcomed their first daughter, Isla, when he was still in Las Vegas in August 2022. They welcomed a second daughter, Navy, in April 2024.

Smith would like to know what’s in those boxes he’s afraid to unpack. He’d like to finish his career with the team that’s given him so much.

“I understand it’s a business. I’m also an optimistic person,” said Smith, who has played 919 NHL games. “Hopefully we can work out something that works out for both sides. I’d like to play 1,000 games in my career, and to be able to do it with this jersey would mean a lot to me.”

Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.