The New York Rangers have the fifth overall pick of the 2026 NHL Draft, and an interesting decision to make. It has become apparent that there is a need for a defender, and this draft has some really big names that could go inside the top five.
All things considered, there is a very good chance that the Rangers have to settle for the last available blueliner out of Chase Reid, Carson Carels, and Keaton Verhoeff. Seeing as though Reid is basically a lock to go for the second spot to San Jose, barring anyone trying to trade up, it will be the worst of the other two.
If both of them were available, let's talk about who Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury should choose.
Left handed help or right handed?
Carels is a left-handed defenseman, and Verhoeff is a right-handed defenseman. Whoever the Rangers choose is going to help fill out either the first-line spot opposite of Adam Fox or the second-line adjacent to Vladislav Gavrikov. The idea of Braden Schneider getting a bridge contract to see if there really is something there in the long-term is still available, but not guaranteed.
If you are looking at that scenario, there is more of a benefit to try and get Fox some much-needed help. It was supposed to Gavrikov to be an upgrade from Ryan Lindgren, but the pairing just did not work out due to the rest of the defensive core being so weak.
There are also some stylistic differences in that Carels showed an improved offensive game this season and comes in at 6'2" and 198 pounds, whereas Verhoeff is 6'4", 212 pounds and is stronger defensively than he is offensively.
Final answer
If it comes down to the two players, Carels is going to have to be the selection. He is going to be joining Verhoeff at the NCAA level, as both will be playing for the University of North Dakota next season.
Getting a left handed shot as talented as Carels for Fox in the future bodes well for a hypothetical situation where the Rangers are in a much better situation in 2027-28. Next season is going to be another burnout year, but after that, things could get interesting in New York.
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