A month into the season, the New York Rangers are better than they were a year ago, but the early returns on one of their biggest young additions have been more ordinary than eye-catching.
Alberts Smits, the left-handed defenseman the Rangers took with the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, has not recorded a point through his first month in the league. Even so, Hannah Stuart of Bleacher Report still gave him a C+ in a recent rookie evaluation, a grade that lands in the middle rather than near the bottom.
That’s notable because Smits entered the year with a reputation as one of the more NHL-ready players in the draft class. He also arrived with some Olympic experience, which added to the belief that he could step in quickly and handle the jump to the NHL.
Instead, his first month has been defined more by role than production. Smits has spent the season on the third pair alongside Braden Schneider.
Schneider’s future in New York has been a talking point for a while, with some viewing him as a possible trade candidate over the summer. That never materialized, though, and he wound up signing a one-year deal with the Rangers to avoid arbitration.
The pairing itself has also drawn attention. There’s been some discussion about whether Schneider is the right fit next to Smits, and a move to a tandem with Sean Durzi has been floated as a way to help Smits develop and reach another level.
For now, the numbers reflect a player still finding his footing. Smits is logging the fewest minutes of any Rangers defenseman, and increasing his ice time appears to be the next step. With month one complete, the focus now shifts to what he does in month two.
In Other News...
Oilers Could Arrive Shorthanded For Rangers After Early Injury Scare
The Rangers may catch a break on the schedule with Edmonton dealing with an early injury scare from Isaac Howard, who went down after a knee-on-knee collision against the New York Islanders and needed assistance getting off the ice. For a moment, it looked like the Oilers might be facing a much bigger problem, but head coach Mike Babcock said the injury is not as serious as first feared, which at least eased the immediate concern around the winger.
Even so, Howard is expected to miss the upcoming game against the Rangers while the Oilers continue to sort through his status and adjust their lineup. Edmonton is already considering different options to fill the opening, and how it handles that spot will be worth watching for a team trying to keep its forward group intact through a busy stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Sullivan Is Already Facing The Rangers Pressure Test
Mike Sullivan arrives behind the Rangers bench with the kind of rsum that usually buys a coach some patience, but New York rarely offers much of that. He steps in after Peter Laviolettes exit, inheriting a team that has already gone through a difficult first season, a front office reset under Chris Drury and the sort of retool language that signals expectations are still very much alive. Even before a full training camp has settled in, Sullivan is being asked to shape a roster that has been trying to find its footing while carrying the weight that comes with coaching in this market.
The early read is encouraging enough to make the job even more interesting. The Rangers have improved after a season in which injuries and inconsistency could have sent them backward, and Sullivan has already had to adjust his approach to fit the realities of New York pressure. With the team still in the thick of the race, the challenge is no longer just about installing a system. It is about proving that the new voice can steady a group that has to perform while everything around it keeps asking for more. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Brutal Test As Lineup Questions Linger Out Of Break
The break is over, and the schedule does not exactly ease the Rangers back in. They open a demanding eight-game stretch in 16 days Sunday at Madison Square Garden against Edmonton, a matchup that immediately asks a lot of a team trying to settle back into rhythm after time off. The Oilers arrive with Connor McDavid and the leagues highest-scoring attack, while New York is still sorting through some uncertainty on the back end because of injuries and illness among its defensemen.
Dylan Garand is set to start in goal, giving the Rangers another look at a netminder who has been thrust into a heavy workload since Igor Shesterkin went down with a season-ending knee injury. Edmonton is expected to counter with Matt Tomkins, but the bigger issue for New York is how its lineup holds up against a top-tier opponent when the blue line is not fully settled. For a team trying to navigate a brutal run of games, Sunday feels like an early stress test. [Read more 🡒]