The New York Rangers' goal for their retool was to replenish their prospect pool, which desperately needed an influx of new talent. The Rangers, even though they lost the NHL Draft Lottery, had the No. 5 overall pick to bring in a top talent in the class. With their choice of the top defensemen in the class on the board, the Rangers chose Latvia's Alberts Smits.
If there is one thing that Rangers fans learned throughout the pre-draft process, it's that Smits was the most pro-ready prospect in the class. He is already ranked as the Rangers' top prospect by multiple prospects. Not only that, but The Athletic ranked Smits 16th overall on their top prospects and players age 23-and-under rankings list. That's how highly thought of Smits is.
But a new rankings list does disrespect Smits in a way.
Alberts Smits misses cut on The Athletic's Top 20 Calder Trophy candidates
The Athletic's Scott Wheeler, Corey Pronman, and Harman Dayal unveiled their rankings for their Top 20 candidates to win the Calder Trophy for best rookie of the year this upcoming season. 20 spots, and Smits didn't receive a single spot on the list.
Smits' fellow draftmates Ivar Stenberg (No. 2), Gavin McKenna (No. 3) and Viggo Bjorck (No. 12) all made the cut.
It is hard to imagine that Smits couldn't make the list. Yes, it's not locked in that Smits will make the opening night roster, especially if head coach Mike Sullivan opts to start Matthew Robertson on the third pairing alongside Braden Schneider. But, it's a matter of when, not if, Smits gets called up at some point in the upcoming season.
If that's the case, why can't he be considered one of the top 20 candidates to win the award? After all, he showed he can play at the pro level, given that he participated in the top leagues in Finland and Germany, while more than holding his own against some of the top talent in the NHL while competing for Latvia in the Winter Olympics.
Alberts Smits is Rangers' best bet at prospect winning Calder Trophy
When it comes to the prospects with the best chance at making an impact, it was always going to be Smits. While he may only get third pairing minutes, it has been floated that he could receive extra playing time as a season goes on, potentially on the penalty kill or even the power play. Considering he does possess an incredible shot, it wouldn't be surprising if he could take the ice when the Rangers have the extra skater advantage.
This offseason, with training camp approaching, it looked like there was a chance that a Liam Greentree or Cole Beaudoin could make the roster. It was the worst-kept secret in hockey that the Rangers were looking to add another forward to the roster before the season. The Rangers had a void in the middle six, opening the door for an internal player to take that spot.
Greentree put up incredible scoring numbers during his time in the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires. Beaudoin was also impressive during his time with the Barrie Colts. These were the two top prospects the Rangers received by trading Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. Maybe, with a strong training camp and performances in preseason games, one of them cold earn a spot.
But on Wednesday, the Rangers officially announced that they signed Seattle Kraken winger Eeli Tolvanen to a one-year contract. With that, Tolvanen should be considered a lock to take a wing spot on the second or third line heading into the regular season.
With that, Smits would be the favorite to compete for the Calder Trophy. The Rangers had the belief in him, considering he was the most pro-ready of every prospect. So, when he does get his opportunity, it would not be surprising if he catches the attention of the league.
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