President and General Manager Chris Drury had a very busy night as the New York Rangers accelerated their retooling phase during Day 1 of the 2026 NHL Draft. With a big trade with Vegas for elite goal scorer Pavel Dorofeyev, their night got off to a great start prior to their fifth-overall selection.
They went on the clock, and surprisingly, the Buffalo Sabres went a different direction than everyone anticipated with Daxon Rudolph at No. 4. That left Alberts Smits, Chase Reid, and Keaton Verheoff all on the board for the taking.
This was definitely not a situation that Drury, or Rangers fans everywhere, were anticipating being in. With a free choice to choose, they went with the need for a left-handed shot over the best available.
Gut reaction, that decision is going to come back and haunt them. Let's talk about it.
Smits over Reid, potential mistake?
Now, before we go any further, Smits is going to be fantastic for the Rangers, and everyone is sincerely hoping that he can finally be the defensive partner that Adam Fox has been looking for. Seriously, this has to be the guy, or else the idea of moving Fox should be a guarantee, as the front office is incapable of putting together a valid defensive core and a proper first pairing on the blue line.
But with Reid right there for the taking, that has to be the pick right there. He is fast, a playmaker with the puck, and one of the most NHL-ready d-men in this draft, according to multiple accounts.
Instead, Reid goes to Seattle, and their blue line will benefit from that. The hope is that Smits is going to be able to handle the pressure of New York. It is a big jump from playing in the top league in Finland to the NHL.
Smits has a short little hop between draft night and suiting up for the Rangers in the Fall. Currently, he is one of several young players at the Development Camp, and this will be crucial for him to start to hone his skills. Drury and head coach Mike Sullivan are going to be banking on him to help start to turn this blue line around.
For the most part, Smits might check off more boxes for needs for the Rangers. But, Reid was prime for the taking, and now it will be interesting to see who has a better career at the end of it.
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