The New York Rangers finished with the 11th worst record in the NHL this season, and after both the New York Islanders (1st overall) and Utah Hockey Club (4th overall) moved up during the lottery, the Blueshirts are slated to pick 12th overall.
Now that they officially know where they are picking, the Rangers have a decision to make regarding this pick. One of the conditions of acquiring J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks was sending a first round draft pick, and the Rangers have until June 25th, 48 hours before the June 27th draft, to decide whether it will be this year's pick or their 2026 selection.
That pick has already been traded by the Canucks to the Pittsburgh Penguins, so they will have to think a little more critically about the pick they will send their division rival.
If the Rangers were to trade this year's pick, they would still have one pick in rounds two, three, five, and seven, and two picks in both rounds four and six. The Rangers are at a point where they have a pretty veteran roster, and with new coach Mike Sullivan in the fold, you'd imagine the team will try and win sooner rather than later before going through a bit of a retool.
In any case, the odds were very long for the team to move up in the first place, and in a relatively weaker draft, I don't expect to make the pick even if they decide to send Pittsburgh, by way of Vancouver, their 2026 pick. I personally believe that the Rangers will still end up flipping whatever pick they can keep.