New York Rangers: Can lightning strike twice?
By Steve Paulus
The New York Rangers will get their shot at the top pick in the NHL Entry Draft on Monday at 6pm
The NHL announced the details of Phase Two of the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery that will take place on Monday. The drawing will be held at 6pm in the studios of the NHL Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. That’s when the New York Rangers will know if they have won the jackpot and will get to pick first when the draft is held in October.
The drawing will be carried live on NBCSN and the NHL Network. Blue Line Station will provide instant analysis once the drawing is held.
It has been a long road to get here with the first phase of the lottery held on June 26. At that time, the eight teams that lose in the Stanley Cup Qualifier round became eligible for the first pick. When the Rangers were eliminated by Carolina on Tuesday, they became the first team to know for sure that they were going to get a shot at the lottery.
All eight teams will have an equal shot at winning the lottery, much better odds than any of those teams had going into Phase One of the lottery. So far, only the Winnipeg Jets are confirmed to join the Rangers in the sweepstakes on Monday. It was a good night Thursday, for former Ranger goalie Cam Talbot who shut out Neal Pionk and the Jets by a 4-0 score as Calgary won the series in four games.
The consensus pick
Everyone expects Alexis Lafreniere to be the top pick in the draft. The 18-year old left winger finished his third season with Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. As team captain, he finished the truncated season with 35 goals, 77 assists and 112 points in 55 games.
He starred at the World Junior Championships and was named the CHL Player of the Year for the second straight season. The Quebec native joined Sidney Crosby as the only players to win the award in back-to-back years.
The Rangers lucked out last year, winning the second pick in the draft and using the pick on Kaapo Kakko. New Jersey won the lottery and selected Jack Hughes.
The Rangers have never had he number one overall pick in the modern NHL. They did pick first in 1965, but it was the first year of changes in eligibility so it was an unusually poor draft that saw only 11 players selected. The Rangers picked winger Andre Veilleux who never even played a minute of professional hockey.
Along with the Rangers, the Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild and the Vancouver Canucks have never had the top overall pick. Montreal has had the top pick five times and they are followed by the Islanders and Edmonton with four. The Penguins have had the top pick three times.
Ranger fans, remember what you were wearing last year when the lottery was held? Wear it again. Light some candles and do whatever you think will help persuade the hockey gods to smile on the Blueshirts. See you Monday!