The Athletic just gave Rangers fans their dream draft in latest mock

The New York Rangers are in the midst of a retool, and how general manager Chris Drury gets out of it is anyone's guess. With the free agency class incredibly weak and the trade market being a bit of a mystery, their best bet was to draft a difference maker in the first round. But those odds took a drastic hit after the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks leapfrogged the Rangers for the first- and second-overall picks in the draft lottery. Now, the Rangers sit with the No. 5 pick.

If the Rangers wanted to draft a legitimate forward prospect like Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, or Caleb Malhotra, they'd need to trade up. Or, they could hope that this mock draft scenario becomes a reality.

The Athletic released a new mock draft involving draft experts Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler, and Detroit Red Wings beat reporter Max Bultman, with all three operating on how they'd operate if they were general managers. In this mock draft, the Rangers ended up with Stenberg, who fell all the way to the No. 5 pick. That's because Pronman had the Maple Leafs selecting Sault Ste. Marie defenseman Chase Reid first-overall and Bultman had the Sharks taking Prince George defenseman Carson Carels second-overall. That allowed McKenna to fall to No. 3 to get drafted by the Vancouver Canucks, while the Chicago Blackhawks drafted Munchen defenseman Alberts Smits fourth-overall.

Rangers land Ivar Stenberg in shocking mock draft by The Athletic

"There could be some temptation for the Rangers to chase a center here, which is a major need in their system. But they need top talent, period, and Stenberg is the top talent available," writes Bultman. "He had a monster year for a draft-eligible in the SHL, similar to what the Sedins produced at the same age. Stenberg may be on the smaller side, but he’s highly skilled, intelligent and competitive, and that has top-line winger written all over it."

Seriously, if the actual draft panned out like this, Rangers fans would do victory laps. Will they be as excited as New York Knicks fans when they clinched a spot in the NBA Finals this week? Probably not. Still, landing Stenberg in the draft without having to trade assets to move up would be an actual dream scenario for the fanbase.

For most of this season, the debate on who should be the No. 1 pick in the draft has been between McKenna and Stenberg. While McKenna has the star power, Stenberg has been incredible playing for Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). This past season, Stenberg recorded 11 goals and 22 assists in 43 games. In the playoffs for Frolunda, Stenberg recorded four assists in six games.

Stenberg is currently showing the hockey world what he could bring to the NHL, as he plays for Team Sweden in the IIHF World Championships. In seven games, Stenberg has four goals and six assists to his credit. One of those four goals was an incredible one on Tuesday against Slovakia, and it definitely belongs on the highlight reel of the IIHF World Championships.

Stenberg would be a perfect fit for the Rangers. While he is a bit undersized, he does provide the playmaking and scoring prowess that this team desperately needs to have on their roster for the foreseeable future. While the Rangers do have promising young forwards in Gabe Perreault, Noah Laba, and Adam Sykora, their farm system doesn't boast legitimate, long-term options. That's why winning the draft lottery was a must for the Rangers, but the lottery balls had different plans.

If Stenberg were to somehow miraculously fall to the Rangers at the No. 5 spot, Drury shouldn't even hesitiate to put the call in quickly.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow