The New York Rangers have stockpiled draft picks for the last two years, but when it came time to make the picks the team went off the board and made selections no one had anticipated. What does that mean for this year?
After five straight years without a first round draft pick, the New York Rangers had five first rounders in two years. In each case the Blueshirts went the unconventional route and made controversial picks. How about this June when they have two more first rounders?
Every year there are pre-draft rankings published from every news organization that covers hockey. They supplement the rankings provided by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, a centralized database available to all NHL teams.
The standard is for teams to make “safe” choices that most of the prognosticators agree upon. Not the New York Rangers. For two straight years they have disregarded the pundits and gone with their own analysis. It’s too early to proclaim success or failure, but there are early signs of both.
This June there is one guarantee. The Rangers will NOT go off the board with the second overall draft pick. They will select either Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko, depending on who the New Jersey Devils take first. If they don’t, they will be the laughingstock of the NHL.
Their second pick is 20th overall and it remains to be seen if they will make a safe pick that the experts have agreed upon.
Let’s look at how far off the board they did go with their five first round picks the last two years.