A new era of New York Rangers hockey seems to be upon us after two win-now (or at least relatively soon) moves at the NHL Draft on Friday.
New York held the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft and was expected to select a defenseman. That’s exactly what they did, selecting Latvian defenseman Alberts Šmits with the fifth overall selection.
However, that wasn’t the only noise the Rangers made on draft day. They acquired 25-year-old winger Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for the 2026 first-round pick acquired in last summer’s K’Andre Miller trade (26th overall), a 2026 third-round pick (via BUF), and a conditional 2028 first-round pick (top-10 protected).
Draft Pick
Starting with Alberts Šmits, the left-handed defenseman stands at 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds and can do a little bit of everything on the ice. Šmits makes a lot of sense for the Rangers in what they are calling a “retool.” Unlike many of the other defensemen available in the first round, Šmits has the ability to step into the Rangers’ lineup right away.
The Blueshirts are looking to add some “nastiness” to their roster, and Šmits is not afraid to throw his body around, as he showed this past season while playing for Jukurit in Liiga, Finland’s top professional league, and EHC München in Germany’s DEL. Both are European professional leagues where Šmits competed against grown men, experience that should translate well to the NHL compared to playing in a junior league.
Šmits also brings plenty of international experience, having represented Latvia at the World Junior Championship, IIHF World Championship, and the Olympic Games.
Trade
Just before the Rangers selected Šmits with the fifth overall pick, a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights for Pavel Dorofeyev was announced.
Dorofeyev is a 25-year-old winger who has played two full NHL seasons with Vegas, tallying more than 30 goals in each season while also scoring 12 goals in 22 playoff games this postseason.
Dorofeyev is a fantastic pickup for a Rangers team that struggled to score goals last season, especially after the loss of Artemi Panarin. General manager Chris Drury needed to make a splash this offseason, and this is the first major move in what is expected to be a busy summer as he looks to reshape the core of the roster.
Dorofeyev is expected to slot into the Rangers’ top six while also providing a boost to the power play. The Rangers still have work to do, but these two moves are excellent first steps toward getting the team back into Stanley Cup contention.
Dorofeyev has also signed a seven-year contract worth $11 million annually (AAV) with the Rangers.
The Rangers head into Day 2 of the draft with nine picks across Rounds 2 through 6 on Saturday.
