The New York Rangers are getting set for free agency to start up, but they recently just finished up what was a strong showing in the NHL Draft. With a plethora of new prospects coming in, the team got a nice jolt of young talent. Coming into the draft, the Rangers had a need to get things right. Coming off a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference, New York clearly had some major issues, and getting this retool on track with a plan was important. While the vision might have been a bit cloudy, the addition of Pavel Dorofeyev helped make it clearer. The Rangers were able to land the talented winger in a draft night deal for two first-round picks, which didn’t include the fifth overall. Even though New York was hoping to pick higher in the draft, being in the top five still presented them with the opportunity to get a potential impact player, and they have appeared to do that. While the draft ahead of them saw a bit of a shocker with Daxon Rudolph going fourth overall to the Buffalo Sabres, the Rangers didn’t end up going with Chase Reid or Carson Carels and instead took the talented Alberts Smits. As a player who has shined against some stiff pro competition already, as recently as in the Olympics, the Rangers are getting a player who could be able to help out right away. #NYR select Alberts Smits 5th overall. I ranked him 5th overall.Model says it's a solid pick. On top of that, I'll add that Smits went super beast mode in the Olympics against some of the best players in the world and the model doesn't even take that into account. pic.twitter.com/KAr3QwStZK— Patrick Bacon (@TopDownHockey) June 26, 2026As shown by the graphic and the great work done over at HockeyStats.com when it comes to projecting careers, New York is getting a player that not only has a high floor as a player, but a good ceiling as well. While Reid and Carels have been seen by many to have the higher upside, Smits being at 50% to become a star in the league is pretty good odds for a fifth overall pick. One of the main reasons why the Rangers likely took the talented defenseman is because of his potential to come in and help right away. With it being expected that Smits will get a camp invite this fall, there is a good chance that, with the team needing some help on the left side, he could be on the Opening Night roster for the Rangers. If that ends up being the case, the decision to use the fifth pick on him will look even better. With the size and ability to do it all on the ice, Smits could end up becoming a star on the blue line for New York.