After being a late scratch ahead of Saturday's game against the Seattle Kraken, New York Rangers rookie defenceman Alberts Šmits is set to miss additional time.
According to multiple reports on Monday, Šmits is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
It is unknown how or when he got injured. He logged a standard 13:22 of ice time in Thursday's 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, his last game before being scratched.
However, head coach Mike Sullivan noted the injury didn't occur during warumps on Saturday, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
Šmits was selected fifth overall by New York in the 2026 NHL Draft and made the opening-night roster after an impressive training camp, where he's since operated on the Rangers' third defensive pairing.
Although the Latvian blue-liner has yet to record his first NHL point, Šmits previously suited up in the Rangers' first 17 games, where he was a minus-two to go alongside 12 penalty minutes.
