The Rangers are going Beast-Mode in the NHL Draft

The New York Rangers entered the 2020 NHL draft with the top pick in hand and a clear choice as to who that pick would be, but everything that happened after should be just as exciting to Rangers fans.

Alexis Lafrenière is a Ranger.  We all kind of knew that since the early days of August.  But hey, the two months between the rising of the fateful ping pong ball and actually hearing Jeff Gorton say the kid’s name gave all New York Rangers fans enough time to think about all the other possibilities the number one pick could offer.

Speculation is what makes the sports world go round.  But in the end, the Ranger hierarchy knew all along exactly what to do with the team’s first overall pick since 1965.  They chose the “New Kid” from Rimouski Océanic.

With the Covid-era pageantry behind them, management then went into full beast mode.  Not only in the way they made aggressive moves to secure the players that they truly wanted, but also in the temperament reflected in those players that they took.

The move to jump from the twenty-second pick to the nineteenth pick in the first round was hardcore.  The Rangers had their target in Braden Schneider, a tough D-man from the Brandon Wheat Kings. With Schneider still available at nineteen and the NJ Devils just waiting to pluck him  at twenty, Jeff Gorton made his move, not waiting to see if their man would still be around a few picks later.

It had to be a gut punch to the Devils. It had to hurt.  It was a clear message from Manhattan that not only is this Rangers team getting tougher on the ice, they are getting tougher throughout the organization.  Get ready to go to war.

When the Devils picked a Russian defenseman with the next pick, it was clear that the Rangers had won the battle.

The second round looked to be a quiet one for the Rangers until Gorton struck again, trading with the Los Angeles Kings for the 60th pick.  They took William Cuylle from the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL.

The left winger has some nice offensive numbers, but as Steve Paulus pointed out in his article about the the Rangers pick:

According to NHL.com, Cuylle has some decent role models. “Cuylle said he uses physical power forwards like Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars and Matthew Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames as role models.”

Now there is a theme here.

Alexis Lafrenière is a talented offensive player.  But he also known to have a bit of mean streak.  Scouts have pointed out that he likes to start games with a big hit or two just to set the tempo. He does not shy away from any battles.

Braden Schneider…well take this from eliteprospects.com

He is an absolute behemoth of a dude at this level, imposing his will with thunderous hits, overpowering one-hand pushes, and crosschecks. He’s composed and doesn’t over-do the physicality or take needless penalties; enters every hit with his stick leading and doesn’t hit unless he can’t break up the play otherwise. -EliteProspects 2020 NHL Draft Guide

So now the Rangers have used three picks in the 2020 NHL draft, each of them with more than just a little bit of snarl.

The team is clearly heading in a new direction.

The series against Carolina left an impression on John Davidson, Jeff Gorton, and Chris Drury. Ripe with talent, but lacking in toughness, the Rangers set out to change the parameters in this year’s draft.

You have to be excited about Alexis Lafrenière on many levels. But what Rangers fans should really be excited about is how alive the Garden will be when the likes of  Lafrenière, Braden Schneider, William Cuylle, and of course K’Andre Miller take the ice together in a couple of years.

They won’t be playing for Alain Vigneault either.  Buckle up!