The buzz surrounding Alberts Smits started to generate long before training camp. Long before Igor Shesterkin, after the second day of sessions, said he hopes the rookie defenseman — picked No. 5 overall — makes the team, a telling vouch from the $92 million goaltender. Long before Smits matched the moment in his preseason debut Tuesday with an assist and continued glimpses of strong defensive play.
That’s what happens when someone with his size (6-foot-3) and experience (the 2026 Winter Olympics with Latvia) joins an organization while being labeled as one of the most NHL-ready prospects in the draft. But palpable murmurs about the 18-year-old’s chances of making the roster have only continued to crescendo with each passing day of the condensed preseason, perhaps hitting its peak during the exhibition against the Islanders at the Garden.
With cuts and AHL Hartford assignments looming over the next five days, Smits’ immediate future with the Rangers will come into focus. The weight of first impressions will get balanced against the reality of being waiver-exempt. But Braden Schneider, his partner throughout training camp with the NHL group’s third pairing, thought Smits should be in the opening night Blueshirts lineup.
“I definitely think he’s earned the chance to play opening night,” Schneider told The Post on Wednesday, “and I hope he gets that chance, because he’s done really well.”
