Who the Rangers may pick in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft
By Steve Paulus
The New York Rangers will pick 15th in the NHL Entry Draft first round on Friday night. There is a very good chance that the team will trade that pick, but until that happens, it’s worth looking at who the Rangers could pick.
Every year, as we assess the draft, we draw on the rankings from the most respected talent evaluators in hockey. This year’s draft will be one of the most unusual in hockey history as the disruption of Canadian junior hockey forced some of the top prospects to play in Europe or to not play at all. What it means is there is a very good chance for late round gems to emerge.
That could be good news for the Rangers as they have two picks in the third round and three picks in the fourth round. The Blueshirts have had some success picking in late rounds though it is still very early to tell. In the last four years, Morgan Barron (6th round), Lauri Pajuniemi (5th round), Hunter Skinner (4th round) and Zac Jones (3rd round) all have shown that they have some NHL potential.
So, with the trading of their first pick likely, it may be more interesting for Ranger fans to watch the later rounds on Saturday, than the big Entry Draft show on Friday night.
What the Rangers will look for
What kind of player will the Rangers be looking for at 15th overall? With their surplus of defense prospects, it’s very unlikely that they will be looking to draft another blueliner. Depth at center continues to be the weakness of the team’s prospect pool so, a hard nosed center would solve a lot of long term problems.
One thing is certain. Unlike the last three seasons when Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kako and Alexis Lafreniere made the jump to the NHL in the first year after being drafted, we shouldn’t expect to see this year’s pick in making it to New York for at least three years. Look for the Blueshirts to go for a forward first, preferably a center. Here’s a look at some of the players the Rangers could draft.
One clarification. Although the Rangers have the 16th pick in the draft, Arizona forfeited their first round pick so the Rangers will get the 15th pick in the first round. So, we will call it the 15th pick.