The New York Rangers went into the off-season with a possiblity of as many as four first round draft picks. It’s down to three and the order of selection is getting clearer.
We all know that the New York Rangers will be getting the second overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft in June as a result of the lottery. They have at least one more first round pick and another is still up in the air
The good news is that Dallas has a lead in their first round series, so the one conditional is still possible. More good news is that when Winnipeg lost to the Blues, their first round position moved up substantially and could improve even more. The bad news is the fourth potential first rounder went up in smoke when the Lightning were upset by the Blue Jackets. Here’s where the Blueshirts stand regarding picks this June.
First round pick #1
That’s the second overall and it looks like it will be Kaapo Kakko unless the Devils decide to take him first. If they do, the Rangers will select Jack Hughes (in all likelihood). The only variable is if the Vancouver Canucks come up with an offer for Hughes that is so good that the Rangers couldn’t pass it up. Possible, but doubtful.
First round pick #2
With the Jets losing in the first round to the St. Louis Blues, that pick right now is the 22nd in the first round, but it could move up depending on which teams advance in the playoffs. At this point, it could drop to the 18th overall pick. That is a pretty decent return for the Rangers who also got Brendan Lemieux in the deal.
While Hayes had a decent regular season finish with the Jets, ending up with five goals and 13 points in 20 games, in the playoffs he wasn’t much of a factor. He had two goals and one assist in the six games series loss and played less than 12 minutes a game.
Possible first round pick #3
The Dallas Stars are one win away from upsetting the Nashville Predators, Central Division champions. If he Stars can get to the second round and defeat the St. Louis Blues, the Rangers will get a first round pick that can range from #28 (if they lose the Conference Finals) to #30 or #31 if they make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Zuccarello has three goals in the five game series and has been a sparkplug for the team, as he was for the Rangers.
If the Stars lose to Nashville, the pick remains a second rounder which at this point would be #49.
The lost first round pick
When Tampa lost, that pick became a second rounder and will be #58. So much for winning the Presidents’ Trophy.
To sum up
In the best case, the Rangers end up with three first round picks. The picks would be picks #2, #22 (or better) and #28 (or worse). The last pick would happen only be if the Stars make it to the Conference Finals.
In the second round they will have two or three picks. The picks would be #37, #49 (from Dallas if they lose to Nashville) and #58. The Rangers do NOT get the second overall pick in the second round. The lottery standings only apply to the first round. They get the sixth pick in the second round and all subsequent rounds (the picks they haven’t traded).
They have their own picks in the third, fifth and sixth rounds.
They own the Columbus picks in the fourth and seventh rounds (from the McQuaid deal).
Ranger fans should be rooting for Dallas to beat Nashville and get to the Conference Finals, but hope that they lose in that series. Fans should also root for Carolina to come back and beat Washington as that will improve the position of the first rounder acquired from Winnipeg.