Smith won the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023.
"He has chemistry with William Karlsson that you have seen for many years. We really are a better team with Reilly," McCrimmon said. "The other aspect of it with Reilly is leadership, and that's something Reilly really brings to the organization. He was an alternate captain for many years before he was traded, and I think that he's got such a level of respect from teammates that he adds to our organization in that way."
Saad, a 32-year-old forward, had 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in 72 regular-season games for the St. Louis Blues and Golden Knights last season, including 14 points (six goals, eight assists) with Vegas after he signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract Jan. 31, 2025, following his contract termination by the Blues.
Selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round (No. 43) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Saad has 529 points (266 goals, 263 assists) in 935 regular-season games for the Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche, Blues and Golden Knights and 57 points (27 goals, 30 assists) in 111 playoff games.
Saad won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015.
"When we brought him in last year, he had other opportunities to go different places and wanted to go where he thought he could win. That was exactly why he wanted to stay in Vegas," McCrimmon said. "He had really good chemistry with Tomas Hertl. They enjoyed playing together. I thought that Tomas, between Brandon Saad and Pavel Dorofeyev, was a really good line for us. It hurt us in the playoffs when that line got broken up."
Vegas also signed forward Cole Reinhardt (two years) and defensemen Dylan Coghlan (one year) and Jaycob Megna (one year) on Tuesday.
The Golden Knights acquired forward Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 28-year-old, who could have become an unrestricted free agent, signed an eight-year, $96 million contract ($12 million).
