CALGARY, Alberta -- Reilly Smith admittedly had a bit of a difficult time adjusting to Pittsburgh at first after being acquired from Vegas in the offseason.
"The only thing difficult is we had to unpack a lot of jackets that we boxed up for a lot of years," Smith told me with a grin earlier this week.
And beyond the climate, which obviously runs a little colder than Las Vegas?
"Other than that, everything's been very smooth and very great," Smith said. "I think the organization here is awesome at making that transition very easy."
The Penguins are the fifth NHL team for 32-year-old Smith, having previously played for the Stars, Bruins, Panthers and Golden Knights in his career that has now spanned 13 seasons and 815 games. He was with the Golden Knights the longest, one of the six original "Misfits" from the 2017 expansion team who were still around to win the Stanley Cup with the team last June.
Smith spent the early part of the summer celebrating the win with his old teammates and family, and as he said in training camp, "changed the page and moved onto the next chapter" after his day with the Stanley Cup.
The questions from some fans whether Smith was happy with the trade started sometime over the summer when Smith didn't do a media availability with Pittsburgh reporters to talk about the trade. That wasn't Smith pouting, though. He's chosen to never do media over the offseasons in his career, preferring to use the downtime for ... actual downtime.
"I like to take the time in the summer to spend it with my family and kind of just get away from hockey," he explained.
Smith had a great start to the season on Evgeni Malkin's wing, recording six goals and six assists in his first 13 games. Then two things happened that caused that "Smith is miserable in Pittsburgh!" narrative to rear its head again -- Smith was permitted by the team to miss a practice and visit the White House with the Golden Knights to celebrate the Stanley Cup win on Nov. 13, and Smith's hot start immediately ended. Like, as in the next game. He recorded a single assist in his next 12 games, and only two goals and six assists in his next 28 games. He was bumped down to the third line as a result.
Smith's seen somewhat of a resurgence lately, though not quite to that level he saw early in the season. He has a goal and three assists in his last seven games, and has seen time on the top power play unit. He's been on the top line next to Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell the last two games now following the injury to Bryan Rust on Feb. 25.
Still ... that idea that Smith must not be happy here doesn't seem to want to go away. Nobody actually bothered to talk to Smith himself about the matter, but I brought it up when we spoke after the Penguins' morning skate in Seattle on Thursday.
"No, it's been great," Smith said of his time in Pittsburgh. "I think it's an awesome place to be able to raise a family and be able to play here. Ever since the first time we came here, it's been a great experience. I like where we live and the teammates that we have. It works perfectly, because we have kids that are the same age and we're all in the same neighborhood (in Cranberry). The commute to get into the rink is super easy. It's a great place to live and grow a family and we've really enjoyed that part."
"We" is Smith's wife Melissa, 19-month-old daughter Isla, and Goldendoodle Hunter. That group is growing, with the Smith's second child expected early spring.
MELISSA SMITH / INSTAGRAM
Reilly and Isla Smith
A good amount of Penguins players have babies around the same age as Smith's daughter -- Rickard Rakell, Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust, Erik Karlsson and Marcus Pettersson are among those with kids of similar ages and often get together for playdates. Dads are included when their schedules permit, like a toddler-level music class with things like drums and maracas recently, or regular swimming classes.
"He's super thoughtful and a great guy," Rakell told me of Smith. "He's a family guy. Our kids love each other. They're not very old, but they're in the crib yelling each other's name. My daughter is going to sleep but she's like, 'Isla, come! Isla, come!. So it's really nice to have that bond."
Smith's family is happy in Pittsburgh, and that's one of the reasons Smith's enjoying his time with the Penguins.
Whether Smith is actually a good fit here on this roster is obviously an entirely separate discussion. His first 13 games of the season showed that he's definitely capable of being a major impact player and meshing well with Malkin. The challenge for Smith and the Penguins' coaching staff is how to help him find that level of play again. But even when he's not contributing on the ice, he can make an impact in the locker room.
"I think he's a quiet leader," Mike Sullivan said of Smith. "You know, he's a Stanley Cup champion. I think he brings a wealth of experience to the table. He's a quiet leader, he leads by example. He wore a letter when he was in Vegas, he commands a lot of respect because of the way he plays the game and the type of person that he is. He doesn't say a lot, but when he does, I think everybody pays attention because of the respect that he has from the room."
Rakell lauded Smith's calming presence, saying that Smith "never really gets frustrated."
That mindset seems to extend to matters like the public narratives surrounding Smith, too. Smith is aware of the idea out there that he doesn't want to be in Pittsburgh. He disagrees, but he isn't letting it faze him.
"I think with social media, everyone has their own opinion," he said. "Whether it's right or wrong, they voice it. You don't have to any warrant to make an opinion and put it online. It's just part of life now. It's things that you can't control. What's the point of stressing out about it, or having it affect your emotions at all?"
