New York Rangers: Who should they pick in the first round of the draft?

First round – The Skjei trade pick

Kaiden Guhle (Prince Albert – WHL) is listed as the 19th best prospect on NHL.com’s March 20 draft rankings. But he’s a defenseman, as is #20, Jeremie Porter (Saint John – QMJHL). The Rangers are well-stocked at defense (and in goal), so even if these two fall a few spots, New York should probably pass on them.

Seth Jarvis (Portland – WHL) is at 21st on NHL.com’s prospect list. They call the center a “smart, skilled player who executes with pace and excels as a penalty-killer”. One possible knock on him is his size, or lack thereof. He’s listed as 5’9”, 179 lbs, not exactly a mountain of a man, but check him out in this video from a year and a half ago. Scrappy.

There’s another clip on YouTube which might have convinced me Jarvis would be a great pick.

The prospect listed just after Jarvis presents a bit of a dilemma for the Rangers. Justin Barron (Halifax – QMJHL), is a solid 6’1”, 195 lbs, though he is another defenseman. But he’s also the brother of ECHC Player of the Year Morgan Barron, chosen by the Rangers in the 2017 draft. As Steve Paulus noted in his recent article (below) Morgan could return to Cornell for his senior campaign. Would drafting one brother encourage the other to sign with the Rangers this year?