It appears as though the writing is on the wall for New York Rangers forward Reilly Smith when it comes to his future in the Big Apple.

While the rest of his Rangers teammates will be in action on Sunday night against the Nashville Predators at Madison Square Garden, Smith will not be suiting up. He's been designated a healthy scratch, and with the NHL trade deadline quickly approaching, this could be the signal that Smith is about to be dealt.

“Rangers holding out Reilly Smith from tonight's game for trade deadline reasons. Pending UFA could be dealt before Friday's deadline,” Pierre LeBrun of TSN reported on Sunday morning.

Smith is playing in his first season with the Rangers after having spent last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. So far in 58 games, Smith has scored 10 goals with 19 assists.

Originally drafted 69th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2009 NHL draft, Smith was part of the massive trade with the Boston Bruins that yielded Tyler Seguin for the Stars back in 2013.

After later playing for the Florida Panthers, Smith was taken by the expansion Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL expansion draft; he played the next six years of his career with the Golden Knights, culminating in a Stanley Cup win in 2023.

The Rangers have already made several trades this season

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Right now, a spot in the postseason is anything but a sure thing for the Rangers, who have already made multiple trades this season. They've traded former captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks, while also sending former first round draft pick Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken.

Additionally, they've sent Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to the Colorado Avalanche in a deal they completed on Saturday afternoon.

Despite winning the President's Trophy as the NHL's best regular season team and advancing to the Eastern Conference Final last season, the Rangers have more closely resembled a rebuilding team for much of the 2024-25 campaign.

During a particularly challenging stretch earlier in the season, they lost 16 of 21 games.