Apr 17, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers fans at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Rangers Sending 2025 First Round Pick to Penguins

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Nick Horwat | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 10:52 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Penguins will have an extra first-round pick to play with at the 2025 NHL Draft as the New York Rangers finalize their decision. First reported by the New York Post’s Larry Brooks, the Rangers have decided to send their 2025 first-round pick to the Penguins, rather than retaining it and sending away their 2026 first-rounder.

This decision finalizes a condition between the Rangers and Penguins in the trade that sent J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks to the Rangers. Upon the move, it was up to the Rangers to decide if they wanted to send their first-round pick in 2025 or 2026 to the Penguins.

Breaking: Rangers have notifed the NHL that they are sending this year's 12th overall first-rounder to Pittsburgh to complete the JT Miller deal instead of deferring the transfer to 2026, Post has learned.
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) June 24, 2025

With the Rangers deciding to send the 2025 pick, the Penguins will have the chance to select 11th and 12th overall in the 2025 NHL Draft.

The Rangers likely retained their first-round pick for 2026 to still have a slight chance at one of the top prospects in the sport. Gavin McKenna isn’t eligible for the NHL Draft until 2026 and every team in the league would like their chance at the generational talent.

The Rangers aren’t in a position to tank the 2025-26 season to try and land the first overall pick, but if things turn south during the year, they’ll have that to fall back on. With Mike Sullivan now behind the bench and a bounce back season expected in New York, the Rangers will likely be picking outside of the top 10 in 2026.

The Penguins have turned their sights towards the future and are looking to bolster their prospect pool. Two draft picks in the first round could do wonders in amplifying the pipeline, but the Penguins might also try and use one or both of their two picks to move up in the draft if they have a particular target.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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