Draft Situations The Rangers Should Monitor Closely

The last time the New York Rangers made the playoffs, they had 55 regular-season wins and needed two more to advance to the Stanley Cup final.

Two years later, they have fallen far from that mountain top. Since recording a near .700 points percentage, the Blueshirts have finished fifth, followed by this seasons eigthth seed placement in the Metropolitan Division. But maybe a power swing at the plate can get them back on track towards that climb back up. According to The Athletic’s Vincent Z, Mercogliano, New York is monitoring quite a few situations that are slowly unfolding around the league, and pouncing on one of these situations could be a step towards that quick turnaround that Rangers GM Chris Drury wants to implement.

Although the Rangers are poking around, things don’t always go sideways. Look for Drury to reach out, but the focus begins with the NHL draft. While yes, New York boasts around 50MM in cap space this summer, they have an opportunity to insert a breath of fresh air into a lineup that could use it. Provided are three ways they can take advantage of the draft.

Snagging Second from the Sharks?

The San Jose Sharks once again have a top-five draft pick in their arsenal to utilize in taking a major top prospect in their future. They’ve been selected in the top ten in four of the last five drafts. Sharks GM Mike Grier has another one in place at second overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. After moving up seven spots in the lottery, they have the luxury of selecting a top prospect in wingers Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg, depending on the direction the Maple Leafs decide to go in at first overall.

San Jose would likely go for defensemen, and with this draft boasting an abundance of high-upside blue-liners, there are a few ways the Rangers could provide the Sharks with a need while also supplementing their own. One route could be through exchanging the second overall pick for New York’s first-round pick, which is just a few spots back at fifth overall, where it would be more comfortable to take a defenseman around where they should be on the board.

While the Sharks could utilize the pick to bolster their forward group in the likely event they keep the pick, that would force many of their notable, talented prospects like Filip Bystedt, Igor Chernyshov, and Quentin Musty down the pipeline. Maybe San Jose could deal a young prospect to the Big Apple that could add to New York’s youth.

Keep the pick, wait for a Defenseman?

The fifth overall pick grants New York a chance that a major top prospect can fall to them, depending on how the first four teams play out their picks.

Despite Caleb Malhotra‘s consolidated ranking of 12th by major draft outlets, he’s exploded recently in the OHL playoffs with 26 points in 15 games with Brantford. Considering the connection with Caleb’s father as the coach of the third overall selecting Vancouver AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, it seems like there’s a likely chance there for him to put on a Canucks jersey if the perceived hypothetical of McKenna and Stenberg go first and second.

If New York wanted to, they could go for an available defenseman of whoever falls in their lap. Based on the trend of Malhotra rising, one of Chase Reid, Keaton Verhoeff , Daxon Rudolph, Carson Carels, or Alberts Smits will be on the board for the Rangers to add a youthful jolt to its blue line. If Carels and Smits are among those names, it would benefit New York to gain a lefty, barring any moves in the D-corps.

How to approach the late first round?

New York also has a buffer within the top-32 after its lottery selection at fifth. Remember the KeAndre Miller trade? The Rangers received a 2026 first-round pick from Carolina, and the conditions of the pick, which banked on either Dallas or the Hurricanes ending their season first, were resolved quickly, via the Dallas Stars first round exit to Minnesota.

In the late first, among the consolidated rankings, New York has some forwards that may be left over based on how the first round plays out. Around 26th overall, they could go for a Center, which hasn’t been a picked position for them in this range since 2017, when the team took Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson.

Names like Tynan Lawrence (7th) or Oliver Suvanto (17th) might go middle of the round, but look out for Yegor Shilov (24th), Ryan Roobroeck (26th), Jack Hextall (31st), or even Wyatt Cullen (29th) to be available.