The Vegas Golden Knights re-signed forward Reilly Smith to a three-year contract worth $15 million on Wednesday.
The team made an official announcement not long after trading Max Pacioretty to the Carolina Hurricanes in a salary dump.
Vegas was only able to pay Smith’s $5 million AAV, the same cap hit he had the past five seasons, after moving Pacioretty who is entering the final year of his contract.
Pacioretty’s cap hit remains $7 million in 2022-23 but he’s only owed $5.25 million in actual dollars before he’s slated to become a UFA next summer.
Smith recorded 16 goals and 22 assists in 56 games in 2021-22.
The 31-year-old ranks third in Golden Knights franchise history with 98 goals and 230 points in 321 games since being acquired in a trade with Florida in 2017 ahead of Vegas’s inaugural season.
Vegas also announced the signings of forwards Brett Howden, Jonas Rondbjerg, Sheldon Rempal, Byron Froese and goalie Michael Hutchinson.