Sometimes, life’s not fair to certain people. We’ve all had that moment where some greedy pig would cut you off in traffic and give you a “friendly gesture” in return. Sometimes, that also means getting jury duty letters in the mail.

I mean, who likes getting that?

For Reilly Smith, being healthy scatched by the Vegas Golden Knights was one of those moments. You see, the Original Misfit needed to play 81 of his 82 games with the Golden Knights entering this season. However, things didn’t go as planned.

Reilly Smith went into the season needing to play 81/82 games to reach 1,000 in his career. Max he can now reach is 999.

Brutal.

— Danny Webster (@DannyWebster21) December 2, 2025

Smith only has three goals and three assists in 24 games this season, making for an underwhelming campaign. That was good enough for a projection of… 10 goals and 10 assists this year.

As for the game projection? He’s expected to hit 79 games at his current pace. Currently, he’s at 943 games, which would leave him just short of the total.

Again, life can be cruel at times.

It’s as bad as getting hit in the groin from a football. Sure, it might be funny to some people, especially if you’re Hans Moleman. However, it hurts as badly as being healthy scratched and leaving you just short of an amazing career milestone.

Why Reilly Smith falling just short of the 1,000-game milestone hurts for Vegas Golden Knights fans

One can say that Reilly Smith was already rolling when he was picked up by the Vegas Golden Knights early in his career. He already had stellar campaigns like his 2013-14 season with the Boston Bruins, where he scored 20 goals and 31 assists. But the Golden Knights is where he was the biggest star.

First, that’s where he spent the majority of his career, playing eight seasons with the Golden Knights. Along the way, he added 130 goals and 173 assists, with 29 goals and 29 assists coming on the power play. Add two Stanley Cup Final appearances and a championship and you have a remarkable career in Sin City.

But that’s not even the biggest punch in the groin. We’re talking about establishing yourself as one of the most important Misfits in franchise history. Names like William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault will periodically come up. However, you don’t get far without Smith, especially on special teams.

Again, life can feel like a punch in the gut. Such times aren’t fun, I’m telling you.

Hopefully, there’s room for a Reilly Smith turnaround in the upcoming months. That way, he can get one more shot at achieving this illustrious mark with the Golden Knights. If not, it’ll be the biggest missed opportunity in Las Vegas since the first game.