The New York Rangers had a 2025-26 season they'd like to forget for, let's say, ever. The team finished in last place in the Eastern Conference, pushing general manager Chris Drury to begin a retool. While he wanted to bring in new players to help the Rangers contend relatively quickly, he also wanted to bring in top young prospects to replenish the pipeline.
If there is one thing the Rangers fanbase knew, it was that the AHL Hartford Wolfpack team struggled mightily last season, and it looked as though none of their top prospects were close to making it to pros. While the Rangers saw success from the likes of Gabe Perreault and Adam Sykora this past season, they needed more prospects. Drury did that, by acquiring center Cole Beaudoin from the Utah Mammoth in the Vincent Trocheck trade, winger Liam Greentree from the Los Angeles Kings in the Artemi Panarin trade, and defenseman Alberts Smits, who they drafted with the fifth-overall pick.
As it turns out, Drury's efforts to bring in more prospects truly helped replenish their farm system. Well, according to The Athletic, at least.
The Athletic ranks the Rangers' prospect pool 18th in NHL
The Athletic's Corey Pronman unveiled his rankings for the top prospect pools in the NHL. Pronman ranked the Rangers 18th in the league, which is up from their No. 24 ranking last season. While Pronman says the Rangers still have work to do, he does like the prospects they added, especially Smits and Beaudoin.
"The New York Rangers have a quality prospect pool with some impressive pieces at the top," writes Pronman. "Alberts Smits gives them a highly mobile, top-pairing-caliber defenseman, while Cole Beaudoin provides a tremendously hardworking presence down the middle. New York has a nice blend of skill and compete in a system that should produce reliable NHL talent but still has a lot of work ahead in this next rebuild."
Would Rangers fans like it if the team had a higher ranking on the prospect pools list? Of course they would. But considering they were ranked near the bottom of the league last year to moving up to league average? That is an improvement from where they were, where the future looked hopeless for the Rangers.
Pronman projects Smits to be a "top-pairing defenseman" down the line due in part to using his length and feet to defend, and due to his impressive shot, meaning he could factor into the power play at some point.
As for Beaudoin, Pronman likes his physical game and his ability to create offense, projecting him to be a third-line center on the Rangers.
Greentree, meanwhile, was praised for his shot by Pronman, but his skating is an area of concern. Pronman believes, like Beaudoin, Greentree will be a middle six forward.
Rangers' top prospects will have chance to crack roster out of training camp
Training camp will be interesting, as Smits, Beaudoin, and Greentree could help their cases to make the opening night roster with strong performances.
At the time of the first round of the NHL Draft, the expectation was that Smits would factor into the Rangers' defensive plans. After all, he was touted as the most pro-ready prospect in the draft class. But then, the Rangers added Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson in trades, where they are expected to slot in as their second pairing defensive duo. With Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov locked in as the top defensive duo on the roster, Smits will likely start his NHL career on the third pair, with Braden Schneider.
As for Beaudoin and Greentree, they could certainly make their cases to make the roster. Even though the Rangers overhauled their forward group by bringing in Pavel Dorofeyev and Oliver Bjorkstrand, they still have a need for a top six forward. The free agency options aren't the greatest, and the trade market has stalled. Not to mention, the Rangers don't have much cap space at their disposal. So, that leaves the door open for internal options to make an impression to crack the top six. Maybe, just maybe, Beaudoin and Greentree make the cut. Drury did prioritize bringing in young prospects that can factor into the team's plans in the near future. If either one of them impress, why not give them a shot at the pro level?
Yes, the team's rankings is at the league average. But this time around, the Rangers have actual prospects that can be factors for the team for the foreseeable future. If the 2026-27 season does go south again, it would not be shocking if Drury trades away other players on the roster to bring in more prospects.
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