Fansided

Rangers hoping to beat odds in draft lottery

By Scott Esposito |
Alexis Lafreniere #11 of the Rimouski Oceanic (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)
Alexis Lafreniere #11 of the Rimouski Oceanic (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)
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The post-expansion New York Rangers have never picked No. 1 in the Entry Draft. That could change on Monday night.

Last Friday night I had a nightmare about the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Edmonton Oilers, just hours after the latter two were eliminated in their respective qualifying round series.

First, there was Sidney Crosby centering a line with Alexis Lafrenière on his left-wing at Madison Square Garden. By the final horn, Pittsburgh’s duo had combined for 12 points, the chorus of “Crosby Sucks!” chants had long since dissipated.

As Crosby exited, the future Hall of Famer waived to his biggest cheerleader, Gary Bettman, then smiled at the handful of Rangers’ faithful who stuck around to boo him, showing no remorse for the Penguins’ heist of the NHL’s No. 1 selection for the third time in their franchise history.

Next, there was Alexis Lafrenière playfully debating Connor McDavid as to whether their Edmonton Oilers should keep orange as the primary color of their home sweaters or revert to the old blue worn by the dynastic teams that powered their way to five Stanley Cup titles in seven years.

As if either nightmare alone wasn’t bad enough, the double horrors merged. Suddenly, somehow, Lafrenière, Crosby, and McDavid were on the same team.

The only positive came when I found myself egging NHL headquarters on Sixth Avenue. I had three eggs but woke up before I could pelt my third and final target(s).

One egg was for Pittsburgh winning Lafrenière despite having tanked to draft Super Mario at No. 1 and selected Crosby first overall in a special draft following the 2004-05 lockout.

Another egg was for awarding Edmonton the top pick for the 9,999,999 the time since entering the NHL in 1979.

The last egg was for Gary Bettman or Bill Daly, whoever I saw first.

For the record, I would never waste three good eggs on the NHL, much as I love hockey. It was just a touch of justice at the end of an otherwise terrible, terrible dream.

Speaking of dreams, dare we consider the possibility that by bedtime Monday night, the Rangers will own the No. 1 pick in the Entry Draft after the NHL holds Phase Two of the lottery drawing on Monday at 6 p.m. on NBCSN and NHL Network.

The Rangers are one of eight teams with a 12.5% chance of winning the first pick in the Entry Draft, which is tentatively scheduled to be held virtually starting on October 9.

If the Rangers win the lottery they can draft Lafrenière, the consensus top prospect and first pick. If the Blueshirts lose, they’ll pick at either No. 10 or 11, depending on which team wins the top pick.

You can read more about possible scenarios here.

Meantime, crack open an ice-cold beverage and join me in hoping the Rangers don’t screw things up regardless of whether they pick at No. 1, No. 10, or No. 11.

As you know, their track record of drafting in the top 10 isn’t stellar. That said, their ledger of recent picks between No. 11 and No. 15, isn’t all bad. And kids like Kaapo Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov are still a work in progress.

Here’s a look back at the Rangers’ last 10 top 10 entry draft choices, followed by a look at some of their recent selections between Nos. 11 and 15.

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The Rangers’ last ten top-10 picks

Players are listed in chronological order starting with the most recent. This is not a ranking of players.

1. Kaapo Kakko, Right Wing,  2nd overall, 2019: The Finland native had a fairly impressive rookie season for the Rangers, notching 10 goals and 13 assists. He started well enough to stay on Broadway, fell off after the New Year, but impressed in the qualifying round by shooting more and using his size (6-foot-1, 181 pounds) and speed to create room and chances.

2. Vitali Kravtsov, Right Wing,  9th overall, 2018: After impressing scouts with strong play in the Kontinental Hockey League, he didn’t make the Rangers out of camp and with the team’s permission returned to the KHL. Following the end of his KHL season, Kravtsov played 39 matches for the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack, notching six goals and nine assists. He was on the Rangers’ qualifying round roster but didn’t play in any of the team’s three losses to the Carolina Hurricanes.

3. Lias Andersson, Center, 7th overall, 2017: Had three goals and six assists in 66 games between 2017-18 and 2019-20. Last season, he had one apple in 17 contests and was sent to Hartford. Shortly thereafter, he abruptly left the team and requested a trade to another NHL team. The Rangers’ brass reportedly smoothed things over enough to allow Andersson to play for HV-71 in his native Sweden for the rest of the campaign and again this season after he rejected an invitation to training camp last month.

4. Dylan McIlrath, Defense, 10th overall, 2010: The Rangers were so enamored with his frame (6-5, 236) they took him over defenseman Cam Fowler, center Jaden Schwartz, winger Vladimir Tarasenko, and centers Evgeny Kuznetsov and Charlie Coyle. Most pundits had the Rangers taking Fowler — and they should have. McIlrath has played 66 NHL games and has five points along with 121 penalty minutes and was last seen unable to make the roster of the Red Wings, the league’s worst team. Fowler has played 679 games and boasts 301 points and 185 PIMs.

5. Al Montoya, Goalie,  6th overall, 2004: He lasted just 169 games in the NHL and posted a 2.65 goals-against average and .908 save percentage). Selected before right-wing Drew Stafford (841 games, 428 points), as well as goalies Devan Dubnyk (520 GP, 2.58, .915) and Cory Schneider (409 GP, 2.43, .918).

Dan Blackburn (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images/NHLI)
Dan Blackburn (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images/NHLI) /

6. Dan Blackburn, Goalie, 10th overall, 2001: Poor kid’s career was cut short by injuries. According to Guardians of the Goal by George Grimm, Blackburn injured his shoulder lifting weights after the 2002-03 season. At the time, the Rangers didn’t have a goaltending coach, meaning netminders were left to train on their own. Blackburn’s shoulder nerves never fully recovered, and he retired having played just 63 games (3.24, .894). His injury led to the Rangers hiring goalie coach Benoit Allaire, who went on to mentor Henrik Lundqvist.

7. Pavel Brendl, Right Wing, 4th overall, 1999: Got off on the wrong skate from the start, reportedly showing up to his first Rangers training camp out of shape. Never came close to matching the gaudy stats he accumulated while tearing up the Western Hockey League for the Calgary Hitmen (172 goals, 320 points). Brendl never played a regular-season match for the Rangers and was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers as part of a package for Eric Lindros. In 78 NHL games with the Flyers, Hurricanes and Phoenix Coyotes, he notched 22 points and 16 PIMs.

8. Jamie Lundmark, Center,  9th overall, 1999: Leave it to the Rangers to screw up two top-tens in the same draft. At least Lundmark actually played for the Rangers, notching 11 goals and 19 apples in 114 matches. New York could’ve had defensemen Barret Jackman (876 GP, 186 P, and 1,102 PIMs) and Nick Boynton (605 GP, 144 P, 862 PIMs), and forward Martin Havlat (790 GP, 594 P, 404 PIMs).

9. Manny Malhotra, Center, 7th overall, 1998: Was projected to be a solid two-way NHL forward. And he was, but only after he left the Rangers, who mishandled the kid from the start. Coach John Muckler reportedly never thought of Malhotra as more than a third-liner and often benched him. When Muckler was replaced by Ron Low, Malhotra still floundered. In 206 games over parts of four seasons for New York, he had 19 goals, 22 assists, and 90 PIMs.

Naturally, once he left, he emerged as the player most predicted he’d become, putting up six seasons of double-digits in goals, four with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and one apiece for the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks. He was also acknowledged as one of the best faceoff men in the NHL.

10. Niklas Sundstrom, Right Wing,  8th overall, 1993: Played 315 games for the Rangers, notching 65 goals and 98 assists and 78 PIMs. His best NHL campaign was his second (1996-97), posting single-season career highs in games (82), goals (24), points (52), and power-play goals (five). He also finished sixth in voting for the Selke Trophy and eighth in the NHL with a shooting percentage of 18.2. He was part of a June 1999 trade that landed the Rangers the No. 4 pick in that year’s draft, used on Brendl.

J.T. Miller (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
J.T. Miller (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Rangers’ picks between No. 11 and No. 15

J.T. Miller, Center, 15th overall, 2011: He was the leading scorer this season for the Vancouver Canucks after solid stints with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Rangers. Posted 72 goals and 100 assists in 341 games with New York before getting traded to the Lightning with Ryan McDonagh for Vladimir Namestnikov, Brett Howden, Libor Hajek, Tampa’s first-round pick in 2018 and conditional second-rounder in 2019. In 2019-20, he posted single-season career bests in goals (27), assists (45), points (72), and faceoff percentage (59.2).

Marc Staal, Defense, 12th overall, 2005: Has played all 892 NHL regular-season games and 107 playoff matches, as a Ranger. Has 188 points and 432 PIMs in the regular season, 20 points, and 42 PIMs in the postseason. Until sidelined by two serious injuries, he was an iron man, twice playing all 82 games.

Hugh Jessiman, Right Wing, 12th overall, 2003: As they were with McIlrath, the Rangers were seduced by the New York City native’s size (6-6, 221). He was solid at Dartmouth College and in the minors (he had three 20-goal seasons in the AHL). Problem was, he couldn’t keep up at the NHL level. He played just two games in the league, both for the Florida Panthers in 2010-11, notching five PIMs and four shots.

Related Story. Cross your fingers!. light

Where will the Rangers pick?  We’ll know shortly after 6pm tonight.  Stay tuned.

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