Talk about a nightmare scenario for the New York Rangers. On Tuesday night, the Rangers had the third-best odds to win the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery and the chance to select top prospect out of Penn State Gavin McKenna. Instead, they watched the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks leapfrog them for the first and second overall picks, respectively. As a result, the Rangers dropped down to the No. 5 pick.
Given that there are no superstars available to save them in free agency and on the trade block, getting one of the first two picks of the first round would be an easy fix. Instead, they can kiss McKenna and Ivar Stenberg goodbye, as they will be long gone by the time the Rangers are on the clock.
So, what could a draft scenario look like for the Rangers? Let's take a crack at the first five picks in the first round, concluding with the Rangers' selection.
Rangers' mini mock draft: What could Top 5 look like for New York?
1. Toronto Maple Leafs: Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State
Remember when there was reporting that Auston Matthews could command a trade if he didn't feel the Maple Leafs had a winning roster? Well, the hockey gods rewarded them with the No. 1 pick and the chance to take Gavin McKenna.
It was evident this season that the Maple Leafs missed Mitch Marner, who they traded to the Vegas Golden Knights this past offseason. Now, they can effectively replace him with McKenna, who was the prospect with the most hype around him since the start of Penn State's season, where he put up 15 goals and 36 assists in 35 games. Now, he can potentially be a line-mate of Matthews as a rookie.
2. San Jose Sharks: Chase Reid, RHD, Soo Greyhounds
The Sharks winning the second overall pick truly felt unfair, considering this is a team that already boasts Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and Michael Mesa. Now, they are rewarded with the chance to take another potential superstar.
The Sharks could potentially go for Ivar Stenberg and really build up a super team of young forwards. But, Rangers fans know all too well that the Sharks have been seeking a young defenseman for the past year, with Braden Schneider being linked. We could very well see the Sharks take Chase Reid, a 6-foot-2 right handed defenseman who had 18 goals and 30 assists in 45 games this past season with the Soo Greyhounds.
3. Vancouver Canucks: Ivar Stenberg, RW, Frolunda
The Vancouver Canucks had the best odds to win the first overall pick. Instead, they got leapfrogged twice to fall to No. 3. In this scenario, they still have one of the top prospects in this class fall to them in Ivar Stenberg.
It's only fitting that the Canucks land Stenberg, who has been lighting it up with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League. Stenberg had the most points recorded by an 18-year-old in the SHL with 33 (11 goals, 22 assists) since Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin recorded 42 and 34 points, respectively. It's only fitting that Stenberg ends up in Vancouver to hopefully become a franchise cornerstone for years to come. They need it after trading away Quinn Hughes.
4. Chicago Blackhawks: Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford Bulldogs
The Chicago Blackhawks watched themselves fall to the fourth overall pick despite having the second-best odds to win the lottery. They could go a variety of different directions. But they do have a big item to cross off their offseason to-do list, and that's finalize a new contract with Connor Bedard. This is a team that could use some more scoring power.
Enter Caleb Malhotra, who could very well catapult his way into the top three of this draft. With the Brantford Bulldogs this year, the 6-foot-2 center recorded 29 goals and 55 assists in 67 regular season games. During the OHL playoffs, Malhotra recorded 13 goals and 13 assists in 15 games.
Malhotra would be a dream pick for the Rangers, but it's really difficult seeing him fall to the Rangers.
5. New York Rangers: Carson Carels, LHD, Prince George Cougars
The Rangers find themselves without any of the top three forwards on the board. That means, their best shot is to take the best player available, and that's a defenseman. The Rangers could opt to go with Alberts Smits of Munich or Keaton Verhoeff of North Dakota. But in this scenario, let's go with Carson Carels of the Prince George Cougars.
Carels is a 6-foot-1, 198 pound defenseman that can put points on the stat sheets and can do something that Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan said they needed to add in the offseason, and that's move the puck down the ice. It's also rare to be able to land a steady left-handed defenseman, and Carels can provide just that.
This past season with Prince George, Carels scored 20 goals and recorded 53 assists in 58 regular season games. In the playoffs, Carels recorded one goal and nine assists in 10 games.
While they're not landing a superstar like McKenna or Stenberg, the Rangers could very well end up with Carels to be part of their defensive core for years to come. That's not a bad option with the fifth overall pick.
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