Today has the potential to be a franchise altering day for the New York Rangers as they enter the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery with a real chance to secure a cornerstone player as the embark on a retool outlined by the Letter 2.0. After a grueling season that ended with the team officially finishing 30th in the NHL, the ping-pong balls will finally dictate the path forward. The Rangers have been in this situation before, and it was all the way back in 2020 that fate smiled upon them and enabled them to draft Alexis Lafrenière No. 1 overall.
There is so much to keep track of ahead of the lottery balls being drawn, and here's a quick one stop shop on everything you need to know for Draft Lottery Day!
The NHL Draft Lottery Broadcast
The broadcast gets underway at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN, and will be conducted live on the air.
REMINDER: The 2026 #NHLDraft Lottery will be held on Tuesday, May 5 (7 p.m. ET on @ESPN, @Sportsnet, @TVASports).
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) May 4, 2026
Draft Lottery Guide: https://t.co/pFMjPK7m9j pic.twitter.com/3a2MGt9Sg8
In years prior the lottery was held offscreen, and the only thing fans saw was Bill Daly reveal the cards of teams counting down from 16 to 1.
Matthew Schaefer and the Martin girls are here to get you up to speed on how the #NHLDraft Lottery works! 🫵
— NHL (@NHL) May 4, 2026
Watch the 2026 #NHLDraft Lottery TOMORROW at 7p ET on @espn, @Sportsnet, and @TVASports! pic.twitter.com/ds9o81jOW3
Tonight's lottery will set the first 16 picks of the draft, and heading into the evening the Blueshirts hold the No. 3 spot.
Rangers draft lottery odds
The Rangers finished with the third-worst record in the league, and therefore they have a 11.5% chance of selecting No. 1 overall. That said, here's the full breakdown of where they could land.
- 1st Overall Pick: 11.5%
- 2nd Overall Pick: 11.2%
- 3rd Overall Pick: 7.5%
- 4th Overall Pick: 39.7% (Most likely scenario)
- 5th Overall Pick: 29.8%
The Rangers will keep a top three pick if they win the first or second lottery draw, or if Vancouver or Chicago win the draws. That said, there are 13 teams behind them who can win a draw, and if one of those does that, the Rangers would then slide to No. 4. If two teams outside the top three win the first and second draw, the Rangers would slide all the way to fifth.
Top prospects fans should be familiar with
The Rangers are bound to be in a position to land a player who can play a significant role in the post Letter 2.0 retool, but obviously the higher they land the more impactful the player will be. The goal is to be able to draft Gavin McKenna, but there are other names of note that would be great for the Rangers to add to their prospect pool.
No. 1 - Gavin McKenna, Penn State
McKenna remains the consensus No. 1 pick after having an impressive 51-point season as a freshman. He's a left winger, something the Rangers don't exactly need, but he will be the Blueshirts' guy if the ping pong balls bounce in their favor.
No. 2 - Ivar Stenberg, Frölunda HC
Stenberg has been in this position for most of the season, even though there are some defensemen who are making a push for this spot. At 6'0" and 181 pounds, Stenberg still has some growing to do, but he still an exciting prospect that would be a great addition to the prospect pool.
No. 3 - Chase Reid, Soo Greyhounds
Reid is an offensive defender that is committed to Michigan State for next season, and that's a perfect place for him to continue to develop his game. He stands 6'2" and weighs 187 pounds, and is the type of offensive defender the Rangers could use on the second pair in a few seasons.
No. 4 - Keaton Verhoeff, North Dakota
Verhoeff is a teammate of Blueshirts prospect EJ Emery, and he's coming of a season in which he scored six goals and added 14 assists for 20 points in 36 games. He's already 6'4" and 212 pounds, and there are bound to be teams that look at his physical attributes and project a future in which he's a foundational piece on the blue line.
No. 5 - Caleb Malhotra, Boston University
Malhotra is the son of Manny Malhotra, the NHL veteran who the Blueshirts drafted seventh overall back in 1998. At 6'2" and 183 pounds, Caleb is coming off a massive breakout season with the Brantford Bulldogs, where he racked up 29 goals and 55 assists for 84 points in 67 games. He is also committed to Boston University for the 2026-27 season. Considering BU is the alma mater of Chris Drury, Mike Sullivan, and David Quinn, that level of organizational familiarity makes him a fascinating fit for the Letter 2.0 vision.
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