NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The work has just begun for Kyle Dubas.

But he got a big chunk of the task at hand out of the way Wednesday when he acquired steady 20-goal threat Reilly Smith from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

(That selection originally belonged to the Golden Knights and was dealt to the Penguins on March 1 in exchange for forward Teddy Blueger.)

In 78 games last season, the left-handed Smith, 32, scored 56 points (26 goals, 30 assists) while averaging 16 minutes, 58 seconds of ice time.

Wednesday’s trade came together in recent days as the Golden Knights still were enjoying the revelry of winning the Stanley Cup earlier this month.

“Obviously, Vegas was quite busy,” Dubas quipped while speaking during the first round of the draft Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena. “This week we started to have talks.

“We think Reilly is a good fit because he is extremely reliable defensively in addition to being able to produce very reliably over 20 goals and 50 points in nearly every single season. And coming off winning a Stanley Cup (championship) and being a really important part of that. Can kill penalties, can play left wing and right wing. He did that in the playoffs for Vegas. We view him to be able to kind of interchange him throughout the top of our lineup. … We just thought it was something that was too good for us to pass up, and we’re very excited about that.”

Smith has two years remaining on a contract that carries a salary cap hit of $5 million.

That leaves the Penguins with $15,208,158 of salary cap space (according to Cap Friendly) with the free-agent signing period opening Saturday.

What does that mean for the team’s pending unrestricted free agents, including incumbent second-line left winger Jason Zucker?

“We’re still having conversations with all of them,” Dubas said. “You try to have conversations with them respecting what they’ve done for the franchise in the past. At the same time, trying to get a read on — as different trades happen, different teams fill their needs — what the demand is going to be of your own players.

“With regard to the Smith trade relative to Jason, we wanted to build our depth. We’re going to engage with Eustace King (Zucker’s agent) about it. It certainly doesn’t close the door. It certainly doesn’t close the door. I understand how important he has been to the team and is to the group. So, if there is a solution there, as we kind of sort through where we’re at, it’s certainly not closed at all.”

The door to further trades appears to be open as well. Not necessarily because of a personal preference for Dubas but the realities of the economic climate in the NHL, which has had a mostly flat salary cap since the pandemic ravaged the league’s finances.

Trades can be an easier way to significantly change your roster than free agency.

“Teams, with their younger players especially, they want to get them locked in for eight years right after their entry-level (contract expires),” Dubas said. “Now … it feels like players want to sign sooner and get locked in. There’s just more available in trade. That’s, frankly, a result of the cap just staying flat. Teams need to adapt and adjust and be able to find a way to be compliant while also being competitive.

“Our move (Wednesday) was better than waiting until free agency, and just the term and dollars were right.”

In the meantime, Dubas labels Thursday and Friday as opportunity to keep any pending free agents the team still values.

“Until we’ve signed a player or they sign elsewhere, that’s just time we can use,” Dubas said. “You’d like to have a clear indication, but there’s so many unknowns in the whole marketplace that it gets a little bit tough to do that overall. Every day with every trade that happens: You learn a little bit more about what’s happening in the marketplace and how that’s going to affect your (salary) cap dollars.”

What’s next for the Penguins?

“We’re trying to improve every single thing about the group,” Dubas said. “The acquisition of Reilly, it was more how would he fit with our players that currently are already on the roster. (Many) things were considered. But I don’t want to get too deeply into them because that could kind of tip our hand for other stuff.”

Notes:

• Dubas indicated new assistant general manager Jason Spezza is not eligible to participate in the team’s efforts with the draft or free agency per an agreement with Spezza’s former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Spezza abruptly resigned from an assistant to the general manager position when Dubas was fired as that team’s general manager in mid-May.

Per the terms of the agreement, Spezza is permitted to engage in all front office activities by “mid-July,” according to Dubas.

• Dubas finished eighth in voting for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award for his work with the Maple Leafs.

The award is voted on by an unspecified group of print and broadcast media and was presented to Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars during the first round Wednesday.

Dubas two second-place and two third-place votes totaling eight points.

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