The Rangers had to shuffle their blue line right before Saturday’s game against the Seattle Kraken, and the change came with a notable name coming out of the lineup.
Rookie defenseman Alberts Smits was scratched because of an upper-body injury, according to Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic. Matthew Robertson stepped in and made his season debut in Smits’ place.
For Smits, this is the first absence of his NHL career. The 18-year-old has had a rough start to the season, with no points, 12 penalty minutes and a minus-two rating in 17 games. He’s mostly filled New York’s sixth-defenseman spot and has logged between 10 and 16 minutes of ice time a night.
That’s a sharp contrast from the résumé he brought over. Smits was praised for his work in pro hockey last season, when he put up 13 points in 38 games in Finland’s Liiga and seven points in 16 games in Germany’s DEL. He also added two points in four games at the 2026 Winter Olympics and four points in eight games at the World Championship.
Even with the slow start, the Rangers have kept him in the mix. Smits was viewed by many draft analysts as the most NHL-ready player in his class after a productive draft year, but the Latvian defenseman hasn’t found that same spark in New York yet.
The organization appears committed to keeping him in the rotation, and a short break could give him a chance to reset and rediscover the mobility and puck-moving game that made him stand out. At his best, that’s the skill set that drives his value.
Robertson, meanwhile, gets another shot in the NHL after opening the year in the minors. He played 72 games for the Rangers last season, finishing with 18 points and 38 penalty minutes. A quiet camp, along with Smits’ arrival, sent the 25-year-old back down, but he remained near the top of the call-up list after posting two points and a plus-four through his first eight AHL games.
For now, Robertson is the likely stopgap in a depth role, with the chance to cover Smits’ minutes until the rookie is healthy again.
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