Who should the New York Rangers target with Carolina’s first round pick?

Connor Zary, C, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)

It is very tough to peg where Connor Zary will go in this draft. There is a real chance that he is a lottery pick, but I tend to think he will slip a lot closer to 20. Zary had an impressive draft season, putting up 86 points in 57 games. He is known as a strong two-way center who works his tail off. He is also an incredibly skilled player and has a really entertaining highlight reel. There are serious questions about his skating ability for a player of his size (roughly 6′), and that may scare Ranger fans because he profiles fairly similar to Lias Andersson. If he is available, Zary will certainly be considered.

Hendrix Lapierre, C, Chicoutimi Sanguenéens (QMJHL)

Hendrix Lapierre came into the season with a lot of hype after a huge Ivan Hlinka tournament for Canada last summer. His play at the tournament earned him comparisons to Patrice Bergeron and Evgeni Kuznetsov, two players he has said he models his game after. After a very slow start in the QMJHL, Lapierre’s season took a turn for the worse. Lapierre suffered what was believed to be a concussion and was out for the season. At the time, it was the third documented concussion Lapierre had suffered, and it was fair to question whether he had a future in the sport.

Lapierre sought further medical consultation and it is now believed that he has only had one concussion, but the first concussion he suffered affected his back in a way that mimicked concussion symptoms after the fact. It sounds pretty bizarre, and while I think the combine is generally pretty useless, I am sure teams would like their own doctors to take a look at Lapierre to confirm that information. Because of all of this, Lapierre is no longer even a first-round lock, but he is certainly a first-rounder on talent. The Rangers may consider him.

Mavrik Bourque, C, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)

While Lapierre’s draft stock deflated, Mavrik Bourque’s skyrocketed. Bourque had an excellent season, putting up 71 points in 49 games with very little support. Bourque is undersized and not an amazing skater, but those are the only two knocks against him. He is an incredibly skilled player and is very intelligent. His lack of speed makes me think he might be a winger in the NHL, but he is smart enough to stick at center. Lafrenière will be the Rangers’ first Quebec-born first-round pick since 1977, so why not make it two!

Tyson Foerster, C/RW, Barrie Colts (OHL)

Foerster is one of the draft’s premier snipers and he boasts an extremely powerful and accurate shot. He finished the season with 80 points in 62 games, including 36 goals. He is a truly sub-par skater and it is a legitimate issue in his game, but he is very intelligent, has good hands, and strong vision on the ice that compensates for his pure lack of speed at the junior level. He kind of reminds me a bit of Brock Boeser, although Boeser is a better skater. I think he might be a bit of a reach in this range but he would bring the shoot-first mentality that the Rangers are sorely lacking.