Rangers’ Alberts Smits out week-to-week with upper-body injury

The New York Rangers will have to go without their promising rookie defenseman for the foreseeable future, as the team announced on Monday afternoon that Alberts Smits is out on a week-to-week basis with an upper-body injury.

Smits, who the Rangers chose with the No. 5 overall pick in June’s NHL Draft, impressed the team’s brass in training camp and the preseason and made the Opening Night roster out of camp.

The imposing Latvian blueliner has yet to record his first point in the NHL, but his defensive acumen and physicality have made him an impactful piece of the puzzle for a New York squad that has exceeded pre-season expectations in the early going.

With Smits on the ice at 5-on-5, the Rangers have surrendered just 2.26 goals against per 60 minutes, the third-best mark among the team’s six regular defenseman. The underlying numbers suggest he’s benefitted from good goaltending, as New York has allowed 3.26 expected goals against per 60 with Smits out there.

Still, that Smits has not looked totally out of place on a team with a shaky defensive infrastructure is a good early sign that general manager Chris Drury and his scouting staff made a strong choice with a top-five pick.

On Sunday, the team announced that it recalled defenseman Marc Del Gaizo from its AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack, likely for the purpose of taking over Smits’ role.

It’s been a tough year of injuries for New York, as the team was off to one of the hottest starts in the NHL before star goaltender Igor Shesterkin suffered a season-ending injury.

Thanks to a current three-game winning streak, the Rangers have moved back into a playoff spot by virtue of holding on to third place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 10-7-1.

New York is one game into a four-game Western road trip. After defeating Seattle on Saturday, the Rangers will visit the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night before taking on Calgary and Vancouver to close out their schedule for the week.