New York Rangers draft Rico Gredig to end the 2024 NHL draft for the Blueshirts
By Conor Power
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The New York Rangers take left winger Rico Gredig in round six. At "only" 6'1, he's more than half a foot shorter than the last left-winger the Rangers took in this draft, but it's the final selection for the Blueshirts, and this is a player that the prospect pool can use. Ranked at 123 by the NHL's central scouting of Europeans, this wasn't on many people's radars, but he is now a New York Ranger.
As the Blueshirts wrap up their selections, this Swiss winger is going to report to Davos in the NL next year and is going to continue his career in Europe before moving to North America if all goes well. He's going to be trying to impress the Rangers to the point of getting an entry-level contract, and if he doesn't, the Rangers only used a sixth-round pick on this player. It's not a worry for the future.
Gredig is not exactly a scoring threat, with just two goals and two assists for four points in 28 games in the NL this year, but that doesn't mean he won't ever be. He needs time to continue coming along because he isn't where he needs to be to have an impact at the NHL level. If he never gets there or wants to come across, that's fine. New York will hold his rights indefinitely.
This is another fine gamble in a draft class that has been good for the Blueshirts. There wasn't a lot of draft capital to work with coming into the day, and Chris Drury has done a great job of trying to continue replenishing the cupboards with prospects that fit the organization's mantra without trading down to sacrifice the quality of the players. New York will benefit from having players like this as options in the pipeline.