USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectWhile Chris Drury was looking to make the New York Rangers a younger team when he sent a letter out to fans in January outlining his plan to “retool” the roster, he did not intend to launch a full-fledged rebuild.
A crucial part of Drury’s plan was to add pro-ready prospects who can contribute to the Rangers sooner rather than later and become cornerstone pieces for the organization into the future.
That’s why, for this retool to be deemed a success, Liam Greentree, Alberts Šmits, and Cole Beaudoin have to be players who pay dividends for the Rangers, either in the immediate future or down the road.
Shortly after the release of the letter, the Rangers traded Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings, with the return package centered around Greentree.
The Rangers prioritized acquiring Greentree over a future first-round pick because of his readiness to make the professional hockey jump.
“You try to identify players that we think can get to this stage and play in big moments and make big plays,” Drury said in February. “Specifically to him, we valued him and a prospect like him higher than 26 or 27 first-round pick.”
The 20-year-old served the captain of the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League, and in the 2024-25 campaign, he recorded 49 goals, 70 assists, and 119 points in 64 games for the Spitfires.
Due to the additions of Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen, it will be difficult for Greentree to make the Rangers’ opening-night roster, but he’ll nonetheless be an intriguing player to watch at both rookie and training camp.
After a disappointing 2025-26 campaign in which the Rangers missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season, they earned the fifth overall pick and selected Šmits.
There were many high-value defensemen still on the board for the Rangers to draft, but they still went ahead and picked Šmits, as he was considered to be one of the most pro-ready blueliners in the 2026 draft class.
The 18-year-old defenseman signed his entry-level contract with the Rangers, meaning he’ll have the opportunity to make the opening-night roster out of training camp.
New York has more depth on their left side of the blue line with the addition of Marcus Pettersson, so it’s a likely scenario that Šmits starts the season in the American Hockey League playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack.
“We're gonna do right by him and the long-term health and well-being of him as a Ranger,” Drury said of Šmits. “This is not a sprint for him. We hope he's a rock-solid defenseman for the Rangers for the next 15 years. We're not going to put him in positions or situations that he can't handle. So excited to add him, but again, not going to do anything that's not in the best interest long term for him.”
The Rangers’ brass will still be able to get a hard look at Šmits over the course of training camp and the preseason.
On July 1, the Rangers traded Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth, and they acquired Beaudoin as the main piece of the return package.
Beaudoin was selected in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Mammoth, and similar to Greentree, he’s a prospect who is well equipped to play professional hockey.
Serving as the captain for the Barrie Colts of the OHL this past season, the 20-year-old forward recorded 33 goals, 55 assists, and 88 points in 54 games.
The signing of center Joe Veleno indicates that the Rangers aren’t in a rush to bring Beaudoin up to the NHL right away out of training camp, and he’s slated to start the season in Hartford.
Regardless of whether Greentree, Šmits, or Beaudoin make the Blueshirts’ opening night roster to kick off the 2026-27 season, the organization has an older core consisting of Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox, J.T. Miller, and Mika Zibanejad, which means they’ll need young talent to fill in over time to remain competitive.
At the heart of this retool are Greentree, Šmits, and Beaudoin, as their development will be critical to the Rangers’ long-term success.
