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Ranking the three ultimate draft flops to ever set back the Rangers timeline

We take a look back at the three most costly first-round draft day mistakes in New York Rangers franchise history.
ByJustin Bonhard|
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Mar 27, 2019; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center David Krejci (46) knocks down New York Rangers center Lias Andersson (50) during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Mar 27, 2019; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center David Krejci (46) knocks down New York Rangers center Lias Andersson (50) during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers have had a history of great draft picks and a recent streak of wasting these high-tier picks with unusable talent. There are three that really stick out like a sore thumb.

As the Rangers hold onto the fifth pick in the upcoming NHL Draft, it is important for them not to make the same mistake that they made with the players listed below. If they do, this franchise, which is already floundering outside of the water pale, will really be in deep trouble.

Let's get to it.

3. Vitali Kravtsov

Drafted with the ninth pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the Rangers selected Kravtsov ahead of some really great players. Namely, defensemen Even Bouchard and Noah Dobson, as well as Joel Farabee.

With just 48 games, five goals, and five assists, and then a stint with the Vancouver Canucks, Kravtsov was out of the NHL in under three years. It was a wild ride, with so much hype came a disappointing reality.

2. Lias Andersson

If you wanted to remember what Lias Andersson's tenure with the Rangers was like, this short little video will bring you back. This seemed so silly at the time, but in some ways, it was a precursor of what was to come.

Andersson was drafted with the seventh pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, and like Kravtsov, his Rangers career never got off the ground. He played 66 games with the Blueshirts, scoring three goals and six assists.

This one still hurts a lot of Rangers fans, as he was projected to be a perfect cornerstone player for a blossoming Rangers team that just came out of their championship window that included visits to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2012, 2014, and 2015.

1. Hugh Jessiman

Let us go back to 2003, the draft that season had so many potential Hall of Famers in it. Marc-Andre Fleury, Thomas Vanek, Eric Staal, Jeff Carter, and the list goes on and on. The Rangers selected Hugh Jessiman with the 12th pick, and arguably, the draft class was even better than the names listed above.

Jessiman was selected before Dustin Brown, Brent Seabrook, Zach Parise, Ryan Getzlaf, Mike Richards, and Corey Perry. Unfortunately, Jessiman only played a grand total of two games with the Rangers, and that was it.

This was undoubtedly one of the worst draft flops in franchise history, and could be the worst in all of hockey history.

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