Why Alberts Smits Might Not Make a Major Impact in Year One for NY Rangers

Will the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft make a big impact for the New York Rangers in year one?

Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Alberts Smits reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It has been a busy offseason for the New York Rangers, and the team is hoping to be much better compared to last year. 

The Rangers came into the summer as a team really hoping to improve. Fortunately, they were in a good position to be able to do so with a lot of cap space and some good draft capital. 

While this free agency class wasn’t the strongest, the team was able to make improvements in other ways thanks to a plethora of trades and some good drafting. 

The Rangers really needed to have a strong summer after coming off a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference, and they were able to accomplish that. Now, as the team starts to prepare for what next season is going to look like, head coach Mike Sullivan will have a lot of lineup and roster decisions to make. 

As New York looks to get ready for next year, one player who they will be having high hopes for is their first-round pick from this year. 

Peter Baugh of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about it being somewhat unlikely that fifth overall pick Alberts Smits makes a major impact for New York next season. 

Blueline is Strong

Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Alberts Smits reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the Rangers were starting to go through their draft process, it became pretty apparent that the team was going to take a defenseman with the fifth overall pick. Despite options like Carson Carels and Chase Reid still being on the board, New York selected Smits. 

The big defenseman was seen as a player who could potentially come in and help the Rangers right off the bat. At the time, the left side of the defense was a major need for the team, and Smits figured to be a potential option for them right off the bat. 

However, the team was able to make a couple of notable deals this summer to improve the blueline. One of those deals brought in Marcus Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks. Considering the team gave up a first-round pick in 2030, they obviously believe in him quite a bit to be able to be a second-pair player for the team.

For Smits, while he could win the third-pair spot on the left side, the argument could be made that some time in the AHL in a bigger role would be better for his development. 

Overall, this is a good spot for the team to be in, and they will be hoping to develop him into a solid player.