Rangers Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Trade 26th Overall Pick

The Stars will have to trade someone, if not Robertson, to ensure compliance with the cap. The only players under big contracts without no-move or no-trade clauses are Wyatt Johnston up front and Thomas Harley on defense.

Particularly, the Rangers should be all over Johnston and Robertson. Those are deals that start with the 26th overall pick and top prospects like Liam Greentree. It’s hard to imagine the Stars opting to trade their offensive defenseman – but again, the Rangers should be prepared with a big offer that includes 26th overall.

The Rangers should also monitor the Seattle Kraken’s Shane Wright. The 2022 fourth-overall pick has found himself in the rumor mill in recent months.

Another intriguing option in the rumor mill is Matthew Knies. Even on a bad team, the 23-year-old continues to improve, posting 66 points in 79 games this season.

And while very unlikely, the Rangers should keep tabs on the Minnesota Wild’s Quinn Hughes, who is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of next season. Without question, Hughes, who is one of the best skating defensemen in the league, would be the star the Rangers have been desperately searching for.

Scenarios Where the Pick Should Be Kept

While a number of types of trades would make sense involving the 26th overall pick, the Rangers should avoid a few types of moves. One is trading for an older non-superstar player. So think back to the J.T. Miller trade – a similar move now should be avoided.

The other is looking at bottom-six centers with limited upside. Yes, centers are valuable, but the Rangers aren’t in a position to do this at the moment. Luckily, for the Blueshirts, the availability for this position this offseason looks pretty thin – aside from Dylan Larkin and the team’s Vincent Trocheck.

But say someone like the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nick Paul were to become available, who carries a $3.1 million cap hit. This is a move the Rangers need to avoid – not because Paul is a bad hockey player – but because he fails to take the team to the next level.

Yes, a number of scenarios make sense for trading 26th overall while keeping the fifth-overall selection. Should a young, promising player like Robertson or Knies be available, the Rangers shouldn’t hesitate to act.

But trading the pick for older and/or role players doesn’t make sense for the organization. The Rangers in those scenarios would be better off making the 26th-overall pick – even if that player isn’t ready to make an NHL impact for another three to four years.