Reilly Smith healthy again, eager for softball game vs. Raiders

Golden Knights forward Reilly Smith said he feels “100 percent” after being placed on long-term injured reserve and missing the team’s final 24 games last season.

That’s good news for the Knights, assuming they and Smith, a soon-to-be unrestricted free agent, reach a new deal.

The right wing, an original member of the franchise who plays on the Misfit Line with William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault, said he wants to return and is optimistic that a deal will be reached. NHL free agency begins Wednesday.

“Hopefully we get something done in the next few days,” Smith said Monday.

No matter what happens, Smith and the Knights will take the field next Monday at Las Vegas Ballpark for the third Battle 4 Vegas charity softball game against the Raiders.

Smith will be joined by current and former members of the Knights, including ex-teammates Ryan Reaves, Nate Schmidt and Erik Haula.

Reaves, Schmidt and Haula spend their summers in Las Vegas and stay in touch with Smith.

“Fortunately, they want to be part of this game every year, and they enjoy it,” he said.

Smith said the best thing about the game is the money it raises for the community and families that need it.

What he doesn’t like is that the Knights lost the first two games against the Raiders.

“We have a lot to prove,” Smith said. “It doesn’t look good to go 0-3, so we have to play catch-up.”

Smith also didn’t like the way the season ended for the Knights, who missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Coach Pete DeBoer was fired and replaced by Bruce Cassidy, the team’s third coach since it began play in the 2017-18 season.

Smith said the team had set the bar pretty high in its first four years before tripping over it last season.

“There’s huge expectations for next year, and there’s a lot of stuff to prove, and I’m excited about that challenge,” Smith said.

The early start to the offseason — as tough as it was to take — gave the Knights extra time to begin preparing for the 2022-23 season, Smith said.

“You get extra time to heal and energize yourself for another season,” he said. “Eighty-two games is a long stretch, and it takes a toll on your body.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.