New York Rangers Draft Preview: Another top ten unlikely
There has been a lot of chatter about the New York Rangers trading up to get a second top ten draft pick. While trading up into the top ten is doubtful, the team does possess the assets they could use to move up.
Every NHL team has their own rankings and the New York Rangers are no exception. Last year the team had zeroed in on K’Andre Miller, hoping that he would be available when the team picked 26th. When it looked like he would be gone, Gorton pulled the trigger on a deal and traded up.
The Rangers moved from 26th to 22nd by trading their second first round pick (26th overall), acquired in the Rick Nash deal with Boston as well as the second round pick (48th overall) acquired in the Michael Grabner deal with Boston, to Ottawa.
In exchange for the two picks, the Rangers were able to select Miller, who the Rangers valued higher than most of the hockey cognoscent who had him going later in the draft.
That is one form of trading up in the draft and it is much more common that trading into the top ten. Teams are getting increasingly reluctant to give up a top pick no matter what the return.
Trading up into the top ten
Trading for a first round pick and getting a top ten pick usually happens when a team makes a drastic error in assessing their own talent. The poster child for this are the Ottawa Senators who traded for Colorado’s Matt Duchene and gave up a conditional first rounder. They made the deal in November 2017 after the team had come within one goal of going to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Senators believed that that they were a few crucial pieces away from taking the next step so they made the deal for Duchene. Instead, the team collapsed and missed the playoffs. Rather than risk losing a lottery pick, they deferred the first rounder to 2019 and selected Brady Tkachuk with the fourth pick. That’s how Colorado ended up with a lottery pick in 2019 although they were a playoff team. Although Ottawa finished last in the NHL, the Avalanche will be picking fourth after losing out in the lottery.
That’s how most top draft picks end up getting traded. For this exercise, we will only look at top ten picks acquired close to the Entry Draft, a true example of trading up at the draft.
Since the lockout in 2004-05 teams have traded into the top ten only seven time and only once in the last five years. It has become a rarity in the NHL and he odds of it happening this June are slim. One reason is that with advanced statistics, analytics and better scouting tools, it is much more unusual for a top ten pick to turn out to be a complete bust.
Let’s take a look at the teams who traded up into the top ten since the lockout of 2004-05 and grade the deals.
Big wins
Philadelphia Flyers get Columbus Blue Jackets #8 – 2011The Flyers fleeced the Columbus Blue Jackets in this draft day transaction. They sent forward Jeff Carter to Columbus in exchange for Jakub Voracek, Columbus’ first round pick and a third round pick.With the first round pick, the Flyer selected Sean Couturier who has developed into the top line center for the Flyers. It took him six years, but Philadelphia stuck with him and he has scored over 30 goals for two straight seasons. Voracek alone would have been worth an even swap for Carter as he has been a consistent 20-goal scorer for the Flyers for the last eight years. Jeff Carter was a disaster for Columbus and lasted all of 39 games before he was traded to Los Angeles where he was a key player on two Cup winning teams. Columbus made the best of abad situation when they disposed of Carter, netting defenseman Jack Johnson and a first rounder pick (27th overall) who turned into Marko Dano. Pittsburgh Penguins get Carolina Hurricanes #8 – 2012
In another draft day deal, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Carolina’s first round pick (eighth overall) as part of a bigger trade. The Penguins traded Jordan Staal to the Hurricanes in exchange for Brandon Sutter, Brian Dumoulin and the first rounder. With the pick, the Pens selected Derrick Pouliot. Staal has been one of the leaders of the Hurricanes while Sutter played three seasons with Pittsburgh before being flipped to Vancouver for Nick Bonino. Pouliot also ended up traded to Vancouver. Dumoulin has been a mainstay on two Stanley Cup championships teams. If Stanley Cups are the criteria for success of a trade, the Penguins get the nod on this deal. San Jose Sharks get Atlanta Thrashers #8 – 2005
In the year of the lockout there was one trade-up into the top ten by the San Jose Sharks. They traded a first rounder (#12), second rounder (#49) and an seventh rounder (#207) to Atlanta for the Thrasher’s eighth overall pick and selected Devin Setoguchi. It was a good deal for the Sharks as Setoguchi was a serviceable NHL player for a number of years while none of the players obtained by Atlanta amounted to anything.
Even swaps
Vancouver Canucks get New Jersey Devils # 9 – 2013
On draft day the Canucks sent goalie Cory Schneider to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for their first round pick (ninth overall). It was a straight up player for pick trade and both teams benefited.
In Schneider, the Devils got a top goaltender who only recently has been beset by injuries. With the ninth pick the Canucks selected Bo Horvat who has developed in to a top center for Vancouver.
The slight edge on this trade goes to the Canucks as Horvat is still a top player while Schneider has had health issues for the last year.
San Jose Sharks get St. Louis Blues #9 – 2007
In 2007, the Sharks really wanted to draft Logan Couture. and made a deal with the St. Louis Blues. The Blues had previously acquired the Maple Leaf’s first and second round picks in another trade so they were willing to send their ninth pick to the Sharks in exchange for another first and second round pick. in the end, the Sharks got their man in Couture and the Blues ended up with three later first round picks.
No idea who won
Maple Leafs – Nashville Predators – Florida Panthers swap picks – 20082008 saw one of the most confusing draft days as the Islanders, Maple Leafs, Predators and Panthers were involved in a series of trades that resulted in three first rounders changing teams. The Leafs ended up with the Islanders’ fifth overall pick and drafted Luke Schenn. The Predators ended up with Toronto’s seventh overall pick and drafted Colin Wilson. The Islanders ended up with Florida’s ninth overall pick and drafted Josh Bailey. The bottom line was the Leafs really wanted Luke Schenn and the Isles ended up with the ninth pick instead along with two additional picks in later rounds Who won? It’s too confusing to figure out.
Too soon to judge
New York Rangers get Arizona Coyotes #7 – 2017
Ironically, the last time a team traded up on draft day, it was the New York Rangers.
On the morning of draft day, 2017, the New York Rangers swapped center Derek Stepan and goalie Antti Raanta to Arizona for their seventh overall pick and defenseman Anthony DeAngelo. Arizona had finished with the fourth worst record in the league, but slipped to seventh in the lottery.
The Rangers got cap relief by trading Stepan and an enigmatic prospect in DeAngelo along with Lias Andersson, who they selected with the seventh pick. Arizona, knowing it was a weaker draft year, ended up with a top six center and their number one goaltender.
The jury is still out on this deal with it depending on how Andersson fulfills the potential of a top ten pick.
Pavel Brendl = Fiasco
In 1999 the Rangers pulled off two deals, trading up to get two top ten draft picks. How that turned out makes every Rangers fan want to gag.
In a dramatic move, the Rangers made a blockbuster deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning acquiring their fourth overall first round pick. In exchange, the Rangers gave up goalie Dan Cloutier, forward
Niklas Sundstrom and their 2000 first round pick and their 2003 third round pick. It was a four for one deal and could have been a success except for one simple fact. They picked Pavel Brendl.
Tampa general manager Jacques Demers knew that it was a weak draft year, so he was willing to give up his top pick. Although the draft produced the Sedin twins, of the 28 players taken in the first round only eight played as many as 400 games in the NHL and 12 played less than 80 games.
Brendl never played a game for the Rangers, appearing in 78 games over six years, scoring 11 goals. Niklas Sundstrom played in the NHL for 10 years mostly as a defensive forward. Dan Cloutier played parts of ten years in the NHL including three seasons as the top goalie for the Canucks. The only consolation for the Blueshirts is that the two draft picks they sent to Tampa didn’t amount to anything.
Jamie Lundmark = Disappointment
The second deal of the day was a classic trade up. The Rangers traded their 11th overall pick for the Calgary Flames’ ninth pick, so they would be able to draft center Jamie Lundmark, a big scorer for Moose Jaw in the WHL. To sweeten the pot, the Rangers threw in Marc Savard while the Flames added two more draft picks.
Lundmark scored 11 goals in parts of three seasons with New York before being banished to Phoenix. Ironically, he is still playing pro hockey, most recently in Austria.
The Flames picked Oleg Saprykin with the 11th pick. He played parts of seven seasons in the NHL. It was losing Marc Savard that hurt the most. He went on to score 20 goals twice for Calgary before ending up in Boston where he topped 90 points twice.
Those two deals led to the end of Rangers general manager Neil Smith’s tenure with the team. The magic of the 1994 Stanley Cup win had worn off and one year after predicting that Pavel Brendl was a “franchise player,” he was replaced by Glen Sather.
Of course, it was the New York Rangers who blazed trails by trading for coaches.
Trade for a coach
These don’t exactly qualify as trading up as the Rangers gave up first round picks in both instances, but they are worth noting because they were so unusual.
In 1978 the Rangers actually swapped their first round pick for the rights to hire a coach. It didn’t happen on draft day, it occurred about three weeks before. They signed Flyers coach Fred Shero to a five year contract after he had resigned from his Philadelphia gig. To avoid tampering charges, they gave Philadelphia their 7th overall pick as compensation. The Rangers wanted Shero, a two-time Stanley Cup winner who had worn out his welcome in Philadelphia.
The Flyers used the pick to select Ken Linseman, known as “The Rat” who went to have very successful 14-year NHL career with Philadelphia, Edmonton and Boston. Shero, known as “Freddie the Fog” coached the Rangers for two full seasons and in his first year he took them to Stanley Cup Finals. The Rangers, with John Davidson in goal, lost the 1979 Finals to the Montreal Canadiens in five games. In his third year when the team got off to a bad start, Shero resigned.
Giving up a first for a coach
In 1987, the Rangers hired Michel Bergeron, who was under contract to coach the Quebec Nordiques. Rangers general manager Phil Esposito traded the Rangers’ first round draft pick in 1988 for Bergeron, a pick that turned out to be the fifth overall along with $75,000. The deal was believed to be the first of its kind in NHL history and it was born at the 1987 entry draft.
While at the draft, Esposito jokingly asked the Nordiques GM Maurice Filion about Bergeron and was shocked when he was open to the possibility.
At the time, Bergeron was one of the most successful coaches in the league, making the playoffs for seven straight years. He was a screamer and a taskmaster, exactly what Esposito was looking for. Within days, they had a deal.
This was pretty much a bust for both teams. Quebec selected right wing Daniel Dore who ended up playing all of 17 games for the Nordiques, his entire NHL career. The Rangers missed the playoffs in Bergeron’s first year and in his second season Bergeron clashed repeatedly with Esposito. On April Fools Day 1989, Esposito fired him and took his place behind the bench. Espo guided the Rangers to a first round playoff loss as they were swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Don’t be discouraged, the Rangers actually have one instance of trading up into the first round and actually did it twice in the early days of the entry draft.
The best Ranger trade up ever
Two years before the best trade up ever, the Rangers traded up for the first time. They swapped veteran forward Phil Goyette to the St. Louis Blues for the Blues’ first round pick in the 1969 amateur draft (that’s what they used to call it). Goyette was at the tail end of his career and the Rangers picked defenseman Andre Dupont with the eighth pick overall.
Andre Dupont is better known as “Moose” Dupont and was a mainstay on the Broad Street Bullies blueline in the mid-70’s after the Rangers traded him to guess who? Of course, the St. Louis Blues.
On May 25, 1971, two weeks before the Amateur Draft the Rangers swapped goalie Peter McDuffe to the St Louis Blues for their 10th overall pick in the draft. McDuffe never amounted to much with the Blues, but with the 10th pick, the Rangers selected Steve Vickers.
Vickers went on to win the Calder Trophy in 1973 and set an NHL record by becoming the first rookie in NHL history to score back-to-back hat tricks. He still owns the Rangers record for most points in a game by scoring seven points against the Washington Capitals in 1976.
So, there you have it. Trading up to the top ten is something that doesn’t happen very often. Most recently, it has been the team that gets the draft pick that wins the deal so general managers are loathe to take the risk.
In a loaded draft like this one, the odds that the Rangers can put together a package enticing enough to any team picking in the top ten are slim. The Blueshirts are the only team in the last five years to do it and so far, the results haven’t been definitive in either team’s favor.
The odds are much greater that the team will try to trade up from the 20th slot if they can find a team willing to deal as they did last year with the K’Andre Miller pick.
light. Related Story. Elite prospects who could drop to 20th overall