Everything you need to know about Rangers' rivals performance during Round 1 of 2025 NHL Draft

Despite not having a first round pick, Friday night's 2025 NHL Draft was an important night for the New York Rangers. The in-state rival New York Islanders entered the day with the first overall pick, and acquired picks 16 and 17 from the Montreal Canadiens in a trade that saw defenseman Noah Dobson shipped out. The Pittsburgh Penguins also made three first round selections, and the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers both made two picks.

Friday night allowed the Rangers to get a glimpse into what their rivals could set up to look like in the future. While the draft will not fix your team overnight, hitting on first round picks can help teams jumpstart a rebuild, or stay in contention. Did New York's metropolitan division rivals kick themselves into overdrive, or did they set themselves back?

Carolina Hurricanes

Slated to make the 30th selection, the Hurricanes decided to trade back to pick 34, gaining pick 62 and a 2027 5th round pick in return. While trading out of the first round might not seem wise, the Canes picked up two extra picks to move back four spots. This seems like a worthwhile move, but the Rangers will have to wait until Saturday to see what direction Carolina takes with their first selection.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets held picks number 14 and 20 in Friday's draft. Much to the dismay of the Rangers, they managed to finish below a fledgling Columbus team in the standings this past season. On Friday, they managed to secure even more high-end talent. The first of their two picks was Jackson Smith, a defenseman from Tri-City of the WHL. He was ranked as the 6th overall prospect by eliteprospects.com, and has drawn player comparisons to Luke Hughes, P.K. Subban, and other offensive defensemen.

With their second pick, the Blue Jackets went a bit off the board to select Russian goaltender Pyotr Andreyanov. While he posted strong stats in the MHL, he did not make a KHL appearance and stands at just 6'0" tall. If Andreyanov becomes an NHL-caliber goaltender, it likely will not be in the near future. He was ranked as the 79th prospect by eliteprospects.com, so this feels like a reach for pick 20.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils did not have a selection in tonight's draft, as they traded what eventually ended up being the 18th pick to the Calgary Flames in the summer trade that landed Jacob Markstrom. With the team in win-now mode, they likely are not losing sleep over solving their long-time goaltending problem.

New York Islanders

Friday night belonged to the New York Islanders. With the first, 16th, and 17th picks, the team was poised to make the most noise on draft night. They most definitely succeeded. Having only made one first round pick since 2020, the team has one of the weakest prospect pools in the league. That changed in a hurry.

With their first pick, the Isles selected Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman from the Erie Otters of the OHL. Schaefer has been the consensus number-one prospect for quite some time. He scored 22 points in 17 games, and has all the tools to be a top-pairing defender in a hurry.

While Schaefer was a lock to be an Islander, many were surprised when Victor Eklund was available at 16. The Islanders wisely ended his slide, making the Swedish forward their second pick of the night. He had a similar profile to his brother William, who plays for the San Jose Sharks. Eklund was the ninth ranked prospect by eliteprospects.com, and has a strong chance of being a solid player at the NHL level.

With the very next pick, the Islanders selected defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson from the Barrie Colts of the OHL. The 6'1" Canadian has a penchant for making big hits, and is the type of player teams love to have on their bottom pairing come playoff time. He uses his strength and physicality to his advantage, and could be a guy people hate playing against.

The Islanders had a chance to steal the show, and they most certainly did. Time will tell if trading their 25-year-old top pairing defenseman in Dobson was the right move. However, tonight went about as well as they could have hoped.

Philadelphia Flyers

Owning the 6th, 22nd, and 31st picks coming into the night, the Flyers stuck with their first selection but quickly made a move to package picks 22 and 31. Their first pick was spent on forward Porter Martone, a big, skilled player from the OHL's Brampton Steelheads. After tallying 98 points in 57 games, he was ranked as the third overall prospect by eliteprospects.com. Martone can provide a physical edge that will be valuable in the spring. Pair that with his skill, and you have a potentially elite player on your hands.

In a twist of fate, the Flyers, not the Penguins, ended up selecting a player at number 12. After giving picks 22 and 31 to Pittsburgh, they selected forward Jack Nesbitt, from Windsor of the OHL. This one was perplexing. Ranked 48th by eliteprospects.com, he is seen as a defensive-minded player. Players with his size and statistical profile often struggle to carve out strong offensive roles.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Now in full rebuild-mode, the Pittsburgh Penguins committed to upgrading their mostly-barren prospect pool by selecting three players. Holding the 11th and 12th picks coming into the night, the team was able to parlay pick 12 into picks 22 and 31 from the Flyers. They then moved from pick 31 to 24, trading pick 59 to the LA Kings.

At pick 11, the Penguins selected Benjamin Kindel, a forward from Calgary of the WHL. He was ranked as the 20th prospect by eliteprospects.com after scoring 99 points in 65 games. While this might seem like a reach for the 5'11" winger, the analytical models like him. Due to his production, Kindel should project to have a strong NHL career.

At 22, the Penguins selected Bill Zonnon, from Blainville-Boisbriand of the QMJHL. The 6'2" winger projects as a strong supporting player. With good forechecking skills, and a solid offensive game, Zonnon could develop into a valuable piece for Pittsburgh. He was ranked 28th by eliteprospects.com.

With their final pick, the Penguins traded up to select William Horcoff at 24. The 6'4" American forward was ranked as the 57th overall prospect by eliteprospects.com. Much like the Nesbitt pick from Philadelphia, this feels like a reach for a big player with lower upside. Horcoff only scored 10 points in 18 games for the University of Michigan this season, and projects as a stronger defensive player than offensive.

Washington Capitals

After a successful season in which the Capitals claimed the eastern conference's top seed, Washington held the 27th pick in Friday night's draft. The team selected Lynden Lakovic of the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors. Scoring 58 points in 47 games, the 6'4" winger possesses the blend of size and scoring that teams often covet. Ranked 14th overall by eliteprospects.com, Washington ended Lakovic's slide, and might have gotten a steal at the end of the first round.

With the sheer amount of talent infused into the metropolitan division on Friday night, this is bound to be a transformative draft for one of these teams. Even Washington seemingly scored big with their lone pick. If the Rangers want to keep up in the prospect arms race, they will need to have a strong afternoon on Saturday.