Why Rangers trying to ‘do right’ by Alberts Smits, prospects is winning plan
Rebuilding their prospect pool is one thing for the New York Rangers. Showing patience and developing young talent within the organization is another.
To that end, it appears the Rangers have a simple and logical plan in place which very well could be a winning formula in the long run.
Don’t rush the kids, especially the ones deemed to be the most NHL-ready.
Take Alberts Smits, for example. The Rangers selected the hulking defenseman from Latvia with the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft. That Smits projects as the most NHL-ready defensemen in this draft class is a plus, but not the main reason the Rangers selected him instead of, say, Chase Reid or Carson Carels.
The Rangers are thinking big picture here. Not about forcing a talented 18-year-old into the NHL this fall, just to prove that the organizational retool is a quick success.
That doesn’t mean Smits won’t push for a spot in training camp, nor will the Rangers hold him back from doing so. If he proves he’s ready for that big next step, then he’s ready. He certainly proved himself this past season playing against men at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, IIHF World Championship, and in two professional leagues in Finland and Germany. But Chris Drury and Co. aren’t going to force Smits into something he’s not ready for.
“Well, there’s not too many kids his age drafted who have played in two different men’s pro leagues, Olympics, World Championships. Certainly isn’t getting in bigger stages than those events he participated in. We’re excited where we got him,” the Rangers general manager told reporters last week. “But with that said, we’re going to do right by him and the long-term health and well-being of him as a Ranger. This is not a sprint for him. We hope he’s a rock solid defenseman for the Rangers for the next 15 years. We’re not going to put him in positions or situations that he can’t handle.”
Clearly, that messaging filtered down to Smits, who recently declined to discuss whether he’ll sign his entry-level contract this summer and/or if he’ll attend training camp in September.
“We’ll see how it goes,” he said last week at prospects development camp.
Now, let’s be honest here. It is expected that Smits signs his rookie contract and attends camp this fall. But the Rangers made sure to provide cover on the left side of their defense corps by acquiring veteran Marcus Pettersson in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks, and picking up left-shots William Trudeau, Dennis Cholowski and Marc Del Gaizo as depth options. Plus, Matthew Robertson and Urho Vaakanainen return from last year’s roster.
You get the idea, though. The Rangers didn’t exactly clear out a spot for Smits, though the door isn’t closed on him winning a job either. Let him earn it this fall, or head down to Hartford of the American Hockey League to begin his pro career.
The same holds true for Drew Fortescue, their 2023 third-round draft pick. The left-shot defenseman impressed in nine NHL games at the end of last season following his junior year at Boston College, but doesn’t have a set spot on the Rangers roster and could very well end up in Hartford.
Rangers trying to build winning long-term strategy with top prospects
This strategy isn’t only specific to defensemen. The Rangers restocked their prospect pool with the acquisitions of Liam Greentree, Cole Beaudoin, and Jacob Battaglia, and Nathan Aspinall emerged as a legit prospect with a breakout season in the OHL in 2025-26. Each of those forwards, including a pair of first-rounders and a second-round pick, is 20 years old and turning pro this coming season. Greentree and Beaudoin, in particular, should get long looks in training camp.
But similar to Smits, no one here is a guaranteed an NHL job this fall or at any point this season. These prospects, like Smits, are close to being NHL players. But not one will be rushed before he’s ready, no matter how the Rangers — who missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs two straight years — fare this season.
Again, the Blueshirts have cover. The Rangers signed free agents Oliver Bjorkstrand and Joe Veleno, and each is expected to be a regular in the forward group — Bjorkstrand in a middle-six role, Veleno likely on the fourth line. However, each is on a one-year contract. So, neither stands in the way of the aforementioned forward prospects, nor the likes of Adam Sykora, Brody Lamb, or Carey Terrance, for example, down the road.
Again, it’s a logical and simple strategy. A winning formula.
What it doesn’t take into account is making sure you have the right prospects and you develop them internally in the proper fashion. The Rangers clearly fell short in each of those areas in recent years. Time will tell if they finally figured those critical areas out. But the rest of it looks like a solid plan.
