The New York Rangers' lottery odds did not fall in their favor earlier this month. Despite having the third-best odds to win the first overall selection, the Rangers fell down to No. 5 after getting leapt by the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks. That significantly hurt their chances at drafting a future face of the franchise in Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg. That has led to a debate as to who the Rangers could feasibly end up if they stay at their current position.
The Athletic's Corey Pronman talked with six scouts and executives in the NHL to help predict how the Top 10 of the 2026 NHL Draft could pan out. The first four picks were not necessarily surprising, with McKenna, Chase Reid, Caleb Malhotra, and Stenberg going off the board in that exact order. As for who the Rangers would pick, they settled on North Dakota defenseman Keaton Verhoeff. But interestingly, five different players received at least one vote from the six anonymous sources.
That goes to show that the Rangers' first round pick is anything but a slam dunk.
Latest NHL expert mock draft shows uncertainty of which prospect Rangers could pick
"The Rangers’ selection had a ton of variety. In fact, they got one vote for five different players from the evaluators surveyed. We ultimately land on Verhoeff here, a big, two-way defenseman toolkit who fits the mold of what the Rangers have tended to covet," writes Pronman.
The panel of six scouts and executives had Prince George defenseman Carson Carels, Jukurit defenseman Alberts Smits, Malhotra, and Verhoeff receiving one vote each. Stenberg received the most votes with two, but in the mock draft, he went to the Chicago Blackhawks with the fourth-overall pick. So, in the mock, Pronman and the panel settled on the Rangers picking Verhoeff due in part to his profile of being a big, two-way defenseman, which is the kind of player general manager Chris Drury usually drafts.
Verhoeff is 6-foot-4 and weighs 212 pounds, making him the largest of the top defensemen prospects like Reid, Smits, and Carels. With Verhoeff, he has a powerful shot that can help him produce offensively. In his first year with North Dakota, Verhoeff scored six goals and recorded 14 assists in 36 games. Prior to that, he recorded 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) in 63 games with the WHL's Victoria Royals.
Pronman is high on Verhoeff, ranking him third overall in the entire 2026 draft class. Here is what Pronman had to say in Verhoeff's draft profile, where he listed his pro comparison as Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers.
"Verhoeff is a big two-way defenseman. He's a strong skater, especially for his size. He isn't flashy, nor is he overly creative offensively, but he has good skill, sees the ice well and makes difficult plays with a great point shot that will be a threat in the NHL. His decision-making at times can leave you wanting, though. He’s hard on his checks and uses his size. In college, he wasn't a hard minutes defenseman this season, but he has been at the junior level, and he was a 17-year-old on a top college team. He projects as a tough-minutes top-pair defenseman in the NHL who could score at a quality clip."
If the Rangers want to draft Stenberg or Malhotra, they will have to try and trade up in the draft. It's well known that the Sharks are willing to trade the second-overall selection and need to address the defenseman position more than stocking up on forwards, so they make sense as a trade partner for Drury and the Rangers. But given the outlook thus far, it doesn't seem like a forward will fall to them at the No. 5 spot.
The top five of the NHL Draft could very well be unpredictable, especially when it comes to the Rangers. Even executives and scouts are split on who they could take.
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