Why Albert Smits Could Be Best Option for NY Rangers With 5th Pick

Could Albert Smits be the best choice for the New York Rangers with the fifth overall pick?

Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; The video board shows the 20th overall pick for the Columbus Blue Jackets is about to be announced in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With the NHL Draft quickly approaching for the New York Rangers, the team is going to have big decisions to make with the fifth overall pick. 

Due to the struggles of the Rangers last season, the team knew heading into the NHL Lottery that they were going to have a high pick in the NHL Draft. With the third-worst record in the league, they were very much in play for the first overall pick. However, they were jumped by two teams and fell to fifth overall. 

This was the lowest spot that they could have had, and while it might not be ideal, they should still be able to get an impact player. New York is in need of adding some good young talent to their prospect pool and this pick will provide them with that opportunity. 

The Rangers would have loved to be able to get one of the top three forwards, but that feels highly unlikely. However, one player who could be available is defenseman Albert Smits. As the team has been doing their scouting, he could be a great option for them. 

Smits Could Be Best Option for Rangers

General view of a flag being waved by New York Rangers / John Jones-Imagn Images

While there is a lot of uncertainty about how the top four will shake out, there is undoubtedly going to be a few defensemen for New York to consider with the fifth overall pick. 

Of the teams in the top four, the most likely to take a defensive player figures to be the San Jose Sharks. They have a plethora of talented young wingers, and adding the defenseman they believe is the best could fill a positional need. 

If the Sharks do end up going with a forward, then it would be the Blackhawks who would likely take the best defenseman available. That will leave New York with some good options, and one of them could be Smits. 

It seems unlikely that Smits would be the first defenseman taken, but he might be a great fit for the Rangers. As a left-handed player, he would fill a positional need right away for New York. While the Rangers should be thinking with a best player available mindset, Smits is arguably the best defensive player in this class. 

There are some concerns about his offensive game compared to some of the other prospects, but he certainly has a big shot and can help in that regard. With the big defenseman likely to be on the board still when the Rangers pick, he could be the choice for New York.