The New York Rangers officially completed the J.T. Miller trade on Tuesday by forfeiting their first round pick for Friday's 2025 NHL Draft and keeping their first round pick for the 2026 NHL Draft. The Blueshirts had a very embarrassing season in which they went from having the league's best record to the 11th worst in just one year's time, and having a first round pick at the draft is a good way to add talent to a prospect pool that has lost some luster in recent years.
As of today the team does not have a first round pick, but that could change before the competition of Friday's draft. Here are four players the team could move in order to acquire a pick so that they are making a selection during round one in Los Angeles
Will Cuylle
This may seem like a controversial pick, and it's not something I am advocating for the Rangers to do. The reason he's listed here is because he is currently a restricted free agent, and a player the team may prefer moving instead of keeping around for the future. He is coming off a career year and as things stand he could be locked into a third line role if we believe that the Rangers are trying to add another impact forward.
There have been rumors about the team being interested in JJ Peterka, and in some ways if the Rangers were to add him it would signal that they feel Cuylle isn't worthy of additional opportunities. If that's the case, why not move Cuylle for a first round pick at the draft, open up some cap space in the process, and then go ahead with bringing in another top six forward? I would say the odds of him getting dealt before the draft are low, but it is something you could see Chris Drury doing.
K'Andre Miller
The Rangers are shopping Miller, and in all likelihood his time with the team is finished. He is a really talented hockey player who has shown flashes of brilliance, and still has a lot of potential. For some reason the team has decided they have seen enough of him. It was recently reported that 12 to 15 teams were in the mix for Miller in recent weeks, and with that much competition you'd imagine some team would be willing to part with a 2025 first round pick.
It is expected that the Rangers will be signing Vladislav Gavrikov in free agency, and in order to do that they need to free up some cap space. If this is how the Rangers are thinking, it is possible they were comfortable giving up their 2025 first round pick because they knew they could get another one by moving Miller.