The New York Rangers are viewed as one of the model franchises in the NHL, even with their recent lackluster campaigns. They can usually sign the top free agents available to help their chances of competing for a Stanley Cup. But the Rangers usually do draft well to have some franchise cornerstones.
In recent years, however, the Rangers have had some bad luck in drafting players who factor into the team's long-term plans. Fans have seen K'Andre Miller get traded to the Carolina Hurricanes and immediately win a Stanley Cup title. The likes of Kappo Kakko and Brennan Othmann got traded to the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Fames, respectively, after not panning out with the Rangers.
But if there is one draft decision that the Rangers should regret every passing day, it's drafting Lias Andersson in the first round back in 2017. It looks even worse considering the Rangers selected him over Nick Suzuki.
Lias Andersson is one of the Rangers' biggest draft flops ever
The Rangers had the seventh-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, giving them a chance to draft a potential difference maker. But with the likes of Nico Hischier, Cale Makar, and Miro Heiskanen all off the board, the Rangers decided to take Andersson out of Sweden. The hope was that Andersson would develop into a center they could rely upon for the foreseeable future.
The thing is, that never happened. Andersson notably struggled when he received his opportunities at the pro level. In seven games during his rookie season, Andersson recorded one goal and one assist. The following campaign, Andersson played 41 games, but posted just two goals and four assists. But in his third season with the team, where he posted just one assist in 17 games, Andersson requested a trade off the team. Andersson was loaned to HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings in Oct. 2020.
To see Andersson never develop into an effective forward on the team already made the Rangers look bad. Sure, he did flame out of the NHL just two years after the trade, but the fact that the Rangers passed on Suzuki makes this decision look worse.
Nick Suzuki could have solved Rangers' ongoing center crisis back in 2017
Six picks after the Rangers selected Andersson, the Vegas Golden Knights picked Suzuki at the No. 13 spot. Suzuki would remain with the team for just one year before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens for Max Pacioretty. The move panned out tremendously for Montreal, as Suzuki developed into one of the most top play-making centers in the game.
To make things that much scarier is that Suzuki has only gotten better in each passing year. His seventh season was the best of his career, as he put up a career-high 72 assists, 101 points, and plus-37 plus/minus ratio. That is a testament to his chemistry with fellow linemates Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky. Perhaps the most underrated aspect to Suzuki's game is his defense. That's why he was named the Selke Trophy winner for best defensive forward.
It's only fitting that former Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton, who picked Andersson over Suzuki, is reaping the benefits as Montreal's executive vice president of hockey operations. He sees just how poor of a decision it was to pass on Suzuki in the first place.
The Rangers will always wonder "what if" if Suzuki had gone to the Rangers in 2017. Would he still develop into one of the top centers in hockey? Let's not forget that the Rangers still have a center crisis of their own, as they acquired prospect Cole Beaudoin from the Utah Mammoth in the Vincent Trocheck trade. They are banking on him eventually developing as a long-term option at center.
Either way, Suzuki certainly couldn't have done worse than Andersson, who doesn't even play in the NHL anymore after less than 10 years.
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