2020 NHL Draft: Draft day is here, what will the Rangers do?

It’s NHL Entry Draft Day 2020 for the New York Rangers

Tuesday, October 6 will go down in New York Rangers history as one of the most momentous day in franchise history.   It will rival the day that Neil Smith traded for Mark Messier. It could be bigger than the day that Emile Francis sent Jean Ratelle and Brad Park headed to Boston in exchange for Phil Eposito and Carol Vadnais.

Jeff Gorton has already made his mark with the signing of Artemi Panarin and trading for Jacob Trouba.  He will go down in history as the luckiest general manager in team history due two his two year lottery winning streak.   What can we expect today?  Here are some options.

Standing pat

Ini this case the Rangers will conduct business as usual, drafting ten players over the seven vrounds of the draft. They will pick Alexis Lafreniere first overall and get a young stud center with their second first round pick.

On a busy draft day, filled with trades and player moves, the Rangers will stand pat and reap the benefits of their luck and trades as they continue to maintain a solid, logical approach to a rebuild that is not over yet.

With Lafreniere donning a Ranger jersey in the virtual draft, he will signal the beginning of a new era of Rangers hockey.

A blockbuster

This is the least likely scenario, but clearly the most dramatic.  Minutes before the draft begins, Jeff Gorton will pull the trigger on a deal, swapping the top pick to another team for a king’s ransom of talent.

The names are familiar.  Jack Eichel, Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa’s third and fifth picks, half of the Montreal Canadiens roster…you’ve all heard the rumors.

The simple fact is that no one trades the top pick anymore.  If the hype surrounding Lafreniere is true (and there is no reason to believe it isn’t), trading that top pick will go down in history as the biggest bonehead move in hockey history or a savvy transaction that guaranteed the Rangers multiple Stanley Cups.
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A big trade

The most likely scenario is that the Rangers trade their second overall pick and some young assets in exchange for proven NHL talent or to move up in the draft.   On MSG Network’s pre-draft special, Joe Micheletti said he had spoken to Jeff Gorton and he was looking to see if a deal like the Trouba deal was out there.

Last summer, Gorton swapped a first round pick and Neal Pionk to Winnipeg for Trouba and if that kind of deal is out there, he will jump at it.  The Rangers’ needs are well known. They need a top left-shot defenseman to play with Trouba.  They need a second line center who will be an improvement on Ryan Strome.

The fact that Strome has yet to receive his qualifying offer means that Gorton is fishing for a Strome replacement.  If he can get a stud center in exchange for the top pick and one of the many talented prospects in the pipeline, look for him to make that deal.   A trade for a top lefthanded defenseman will mean Strome will probably stay.  The Rangers have until 5pm Wednesday to decide on a Strome qualifying offer.

Another trade option is Tony DeAngelo.   Gorton could package DeAngelo and the 22nd overall pick in exchange for an established  center or blueliner or to move up in the first round.

The trade market should be very, very hot this October considering the impact COVID-19 has had on the salary cap and the financial state of many NHL teams.  Clubs will be looking to shed salary to get to the cap or just to save money for owners who were crippled by the pandemic.  This year, it’s a buyers market.

A smaller trade

Inevitably, there are smaller trades on draft day.  Teams will trade picks to move up in the draft, especially if there is a player available in later rounds that they fear will go before they can pick. with eight picks in the last five rounds, the Rangers have some trade inventory.

In 2018 the Rangers swapped a first round pick (26th overall) along with a second round pick (48th overall) to Ottawa in order to move up four slots and pick K’Andre Miller 22nd overall.  if there is a player the Rangers have their eyes on in this draft, they could easily pull off this kind of trade.

Potential trade partner?  The Ottawa Senators have three picks in the first round and 12 picks total.

A crystal ball is needed

So what will happen?  Only Jeff Gorton and John Davidson know.  You can be sure that the phone lines are busy and will be all day.  The good news is that Gorton has at least until 7pm, probably later, to decide on what moves to make (or not make) when it comes to draft picks.

In an incredibly condensed schedule, this will be a crazy week for the NHL . RFA’s need to be to be qualified by 5pm Wednesday and the list of potential Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA’s) could grow as a result.

The buyout window closes on Thursday and some new names could make the UFA list.

Free agent frenzy begins at noon on Friday.

Care to speculate?  Feel free to weigh in and we’ll revisit after the draft.

They don’t call it the silly season for nothing. Stay tuned.