The New York Rangers had an important offseason ahead of them, as it was the official start of their retool. One area the Rangers addressed in a huge way was on defense, as they acquired Sean Durzi in the Vincent Trocheck trade with the Utah Mammoth and Marcus Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks. With that, the top four is set alongside Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov.
Before those two trades, the Rangers used the fifth overall pick on Latvian defenseman Alberts Smits. In this draft class, Smits was viewed as the most pro-ready of the highly-touted defensemen, which included Chase Reid, Carson Carels, and Keaton Verhoeff. The expectation was that Smits would have slotted in in the top four, but those spots appear to be locked after the Durzi and Pettersson moves.
Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman discussed Smits' potential role with the Rangers on the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast. Friedman believes that Smits might "take a job" if he plays well enough, but stressed how even playing on the third pairing could beneficial for him.
Alberts Smits path to the Rangers roster is clear, according to Elliotte Friedman
"Even if you're a third pair D, you're still paying, what, 15 to 18 minutes, it's not the worst way to learn if you're ready for it," said Friedman.
The first round of the NHL Draft took place five days before the start of free agency. That was when the Rangers made the moves for Durzi and Pettersson. Before those additions, it looked like Smits was a lock to make it into the top four, given the unimpressive depth on defense before free agency. It made sense, considering Smits had the highest floor among all defensemen in this draft class. But now, unless he outplays someone in the top four, the third pairing seems like the best fit for him.
Smits, at 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, fits what the Rangers look for in defenseman in terms of size. But one of Smits bright spots is his shot, which can be beneficial for a team that could use more scoring, even with their additions of Pavel Dorofeyev and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Playing for Jukurit of Liiga, Smits recorded six goals and seven assists in 38 games. When he waws on loan with EHC Munchen of the DEL, Smits recorded one assist in five regular season games, while posting two goals and four assists in 11 playoff games. Of course, Smits raised his stock playing in the Winter Olympics for Latvia and holding his own against some of the top players in the world.
There are going to be questions as to whether Smits will factor into the Rangers' plans for the 2026-27 season. But the team is in a position where they don't have to rush him and throw him to the wolves immediately as a rookie. But there is always the chance that he can win over Mike Sullivan at some point and give him significant playing time at some point.
At the very least, a third pairing of Smits and Braden Schneider would be a solid third pairing defensive duo for the Rangers if that is the decision they arrive at.
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