In what was a lost season for the New York Rangers, the one consolation prize was winning the first- or second-overall picks in the NHL Draft Lottery. As fans all know, the Rangers didn't win either, and instead dropped to the No. 5 pick despite holding the third-best odds of winning the lottery. So, that meant Gavin McKenna was officially out of reach for the Rangers.
As is the case with many draft processes in professional sports, there is plenty of changeover when it comes to mock drafts and buzz surrounding which teams are interested in which prospect. Ivar Stenberg, even though he was in the running for the No. 1 pick in a competition with McKenna, had a chance to fall a bit in the first round, whether it be due to teams in the Top 5 looking for defensemen or a center. Rangers fans hoped there could be a reality in which Stenberg could fall to the Rangers at the No. 5 spot and give them a legitimate scoring winger that they can rely on for the foreseeable future.
But that all changed on Tuesday, as the San Jose Sharks traded away winger William Eklund and prospects Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for the No. 9 overall pick. Now, the Sharks hold the No. 2 and 9 picks. Given the Sharks traded away Eklund, it seems more likely than ever that they will use the No. 2 overall pick on Stenberg.
Sharks' William Eklund trade now makes Ivar Stenberg unattainable for Rangers
This would be a huge blow to the Rangers' chances of landing a top forward prospect in the draft.
It is a virtual lock that the Toronto Maple Leafs will use the first overall pick on McKenna. Now with the Sharks having two picks in the Top 10, they could very well go best player available with their first selection, which could very well be Stenberg. While yes, the Sharks do have a need for a defenseman, they could still use their ninth-overall pick on one.
Things got a little more chaotic for the Rangers, as the Chicago Blackhawks traded away the fourth overall pick to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defenseman Bowen Byram. The Sabres could very well use that pick on a defensive prospect to add to their stout core, or potentially draft a forward to replace Alex Tuch, who could hit free agency on July 1.
If Tuesday showed anything, it's that anything is possible this offseason. Who'd have thought that Bryam would be flipped for the fourth-overall pick? Or the Senators using the ninth-overall pick acquired from the Florida Panthers trade for Brady Tkachuk on Eklund?
For the Rangers, they do need help everywhere across the roster besides goaltending, so the team using the fifth-overall pick on a defenseman like Carson Carels, Keaton Verhoeff, or Alberts Smits wouldn't be bad selections. However, their most pressing need is at forward. If Stenberg or Caleb Malhotra were to fall to them, it would be a dream come true.
But by looking at how the first round has transformed with the variety of moves made on Tuesday, it's looking like Stenberg falling to fifth-overall is impossible.
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