After the NHL draft lottery yesterday, we know half of the draft order for the first round. We also know most of the rest of it. The only uncertainty for the Rangers is whether they will pick 23rd or 24th overall. If the Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in that series, the Rangers will pick 23rd overall. If the Panthers do not manage to convert their 3-1 series lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Blueshirts will pick 24th.
This is the pick that would have been shipped out to Chicago had the New York Rangers managed to defeat the New Jersey Devils in round one but we know how that ended so it remains in possession of the Rangers. While there is the chance that the Blueshirts move around in the draft, whether that is trading up or down I’m unsure, I’m going to take this approach purely from the perspective of the Rangers drafting around 23rd overall.
As the playoffs progress, we will see if the Rangers are going to be able to move up that extra spot. We still do not know what is going to happen with the Panthers series after they were unable to complete the sweep of the Maple Leafs and allowed Toronto to extend the series. I still expect the Cats to win and if that does happen, the Rangers will be picking 23rd overall which is what I am going to assume, as I have already said.
This is a deep draft in terms of high-end talent. There is a generational talent probably going to Chicago in Connor Bedard, but if he falls to the Rangers, Dolan will be investigated for bribing the entire league to let the projected superstar fall to the Blueshirts. Other great talents towards the top of the draft like Leo Carlsson, Adam Fantilli, and Matvei Michkov will not be on here because they are just not going to be there for the Rangers to pick.