The Rangers didn’t land the lottery luck they wanted, and that shaped the path to Alberts Smits from the start. After entering the draft with the third-best odds for the No. 1 pick, New York slid two spots and missed out on the top forward names in the class, including Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and Caleb Malhotra. That left the club in position to take one of the draft’s top defensemen - and when the Buffalo Sabres stunned everyone by taking Daxon Rudolph at No. 4, the door opened even wider.
New York used the fifth-overall pick on Latvia defenseman Alberts Smits, a selection that drew plenty of discussion. Chase Reid was still on the board, and many saw him as the higher-upside blue-liner.
The Rangers went another direction, choosing the bigger defenseman with the heavy slapshot and the reputation as the most pro-ready player at the position in the class. For now, that call is looking right.
Smits has gone from draft pick to opening-night roster player in short order, and he’s the only defenseman from the 2026 class to make an opening-night roster. The other names from that class who made the cut are all forwards: McKenna with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Stenberg with the San Jose Sharks, Viggo Bjorck with the Winnipeg Jets, and Nikita Klepov with the Anaheim Ducks.
That wasn’t always the cleanest path for Smits. When the Rangers drafted him, a spot in the top four on defense seemed possible because of the depth chart.
Then New York changed the picture on July 1 by trading for Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson. That made things tighter, and it also created the possibility that Smits would need to start in the AHL.
Instead, the Rangers gave him the first look on the bottom pair in camp, and he never gave it back.
He earned that chance with what he showed in preseason games. Smits handled his own end well and flashed some offense too, including the setup on a Taylor Raddysh goal in a 4-3 preseason loss to the Islanders. As he kept skating alongside Braden Schneider on the third pair, the roster decision started to feel obvious.
The Rangers clearly believed in the scouting work that led them to Smits in the first place. He had already logged pro experience in Finland and Germany, and he performed well in those leagues.
He also stood out at the Winter Olympics for Latvia against teams that included other NHL players. That track record helped explain why New York valued him so highly, even with other defensemen still available.
If Smits becomes what the Rangers think he can be, he could wind up as one of their best first-round picks in years. The organization has had misses such as Lias Andersson and Vitali Kravtsov, and Kappo Kakko can be placed in that group too given that he never became the scoring threat many projected.
There have been hits as well. K’Andre Miller became a quick everyday starter before moving on to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he won a Stanley Cup in his first year there.
Alexis Lafreneire has settled in as a useful top-six forward after going first overall in 2020, and Gabe Perreault showed promise as a rookie last season before locking into the top line with Lafreneire and Mika Zibanejad.
For now, though, Smits is the name that has Rangers fans and the organization buzzing. He made the opening-night roster, he has a clear supporter in head coach Mike Sullivan, and the reaction inside the room has been strong after what he’s shown in camp.
In Other News...
Rangers Linked To Alexander Nikishin As Bigger Trade Questions Build
Alexander Nikishin has become one of the more interesting names to watch as the trade market starts to take shape around the league, and the Rangers were in the picture once before. Reports say a deal involving Nikishin and New York was explored around the 2026 NHL draft, though it never came together, leaving the defenseman still in Carolina and still looking like a player with a clear market.
The intrigue is only growing now because Nikishin is said to want a change of scenery for more ice time and responsibility, while the Hurricanes have also been working through bigger roster questions of their own. One recent thread has them considering how to use acquired assets in a possible move with the Winnipeg Jets for Connor Hellebuyck, which only adds to the sense that Nikishin could end up part of a much larger shuffle if the right deal emerges. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Need A Different Madison Square Garden This Time
Mike Sullivan did not spend much time looking backward when the Rangers opened the conversation around their home-ice issues from last season. He framed it as a reset, with a new season and a new group, while Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad both sounded optimistic about the clubs chances to defend Madison Square Garden more effectively this time around.
The timing matters, too, because the Rangers do not get much of a warm-up before the home opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. With a busy early schedule ahead, New York is hoping that a better start in its own building can help establish some momentum quickly, especially after a year in which the Garden was too often an advantage in name only. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Already Have An Opening Week Goalie Concern
Opening week has already brought a wrinkle in the Rangers crease. Joonas Korpisalo was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, and the team has turned to Dylan Garand by recalling him from AHL Hartford. With Igor Shesterkin lined up for the home opener, the immediate burden still sits with the starter, but the depth chart behind him has changed quickly before the season has even settled in.
What makes this more notable is how little clarity there is around the injury itself. Korpisalo has not played this season, and the Rangers have not said how the issue first surfaced, leaving the club to manage a situation that is now being viewed on a week-to-week timeline. Garands call-up at least gives New York another option in the short term, with the schedule moving fast enough that the next crease decision could arrive sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]