The New York Rangers didn't have the luck of the draw, as they fell to the No. 5 spot in the first round after the Toronto Maple Leafs secured the No. 1 pick and the San Jose Sharks won the No. 2 pick. Due to that, the Rangers dropped two spots, as they had the third-best odds to win the lottery. With that, New York faces slim odds of drafting a face of the franchise, especially at forward.
The only real hope remaining for the Rangers was for either a star player wanting off their current team in exchange for the fifth pick, or find a team ahead of them willing to trade down. When it comes to the latter, it appears two teams might be willing to provide an assist.
The Athletic NHL insider Pierre LeBrun released an article detailing some of the rumblings around the league as it soon enters the offseason. LeBrun said that both the Sharks and the Chicago Blackhawks, the latter of whom hold the No. 4 pick, are both willing to trade their picks if the right offer arrives.
Sharks, Blackhawks could provide Rangers with massive trade-up assist in NHL Draft based on new reporting
"The San Jose Sharks, meanwhile, are far enough along in their rebuild that GM Mike Grier is absolutely open to moving the No. 2 pick, depending on the offers, per league sources," writes LeBrun.
"Same goes with Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson and the No. 4 pick. Chicago views the pick as a heck of an asset, given the talent available in the top five, so it would be need to be a darn good NHL player to move it, but the Blackhawks are open to it, per league sources."
LeBrun isn't the only one who is suggesting the Sharks and Blackhawks could trade their first round picks. LeBrun's colleague at The Athletic, Chris Johnston, also listed the second- and fourth-overall picks as two of his top trade targets of the offseason. Johnston said it could take a "massive offer" for Sharks general manager Mike Grier to move the second-overall pick, while saying he could listen considering the team narrowly missed out on the playoffs and already have a stacked young core of forwards thanks to recent first-round picks. As for the Blackhawks, Johnston says they are willing to move on from their first-round pick "if they can get something back that improves them in the present." However, Johnston stresses that a deal may not materialize until the night of the first round.
Paging Chris Drury. This is his chance to land a much-needed forward prospect to build the team around. Penn State's Gavin McKenna had long been considered the top prospect in the entire class, so it would be stunning if the Maple Leafs passed on him with the No. 1 overall pick. In terms of realistic forward prospects the Rangers could trade up for, it's Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg and Brantford center Caleb Malhotra.
Stenberg has been playing incredibly in the Swedish Hockey League and looks impressive thus far in the IIHF World Championships. He is a playmaker who has scoring talent, with The Athletic's Corey Pronman comparing him to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel.
As for Malhotra, he is considered the top center prospect in this entire class. The son of former Rangers first-round pick Manny Malhotra, Caleb is a two-way player who can put up points. This past season with Brantford in the OHL, Malhotra scored 29 goals and recorded 55 assists in 67 games. In 15 playoff games, Malhotra recorded 13 goals and 13 assists. Malhotra would solve the Rangers' long-term center woes, especially with the Rangers likely trading Vincent Trocheck in the offseason.
By all indications, Drury is trying to find a quick exit from the retool they declared back in January. Having not one, but two teams ahead of them willing to trade down should sound the alarms for Drury. They need a young forward they can build around. Moving up to draft someone like Stenberg, Malhotra, or even McKenna if he falls, would be the ideal move for the Rangers.
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