The New York Rangers were awarded the fifth overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, and then they will follow that up with another pick depending on where Dallas will end their season.
But all eyes are on that fifth pick, and what exactly Blueshirts President and General Manager Chris Drury will do with it. He cannot afford to draft another bust or a player that is solid but turned into a bust via the lackadaisical approach from inside this organization.
Where does Drury look to help accelerate this rebuild, or retool, or whatever this current status is? Let's go over it.
Forwards
There is an interesting case to be made that the Rangers go forward-first with this draft. There is the emergence of Gabe Perreault, the continued development of Alexis Lafrenière, and then you have former Hartford standouts like Jaroslav Chmelař and Adam Sýkora on the offensive front, but adding another piece to that puzzle might do this franchise some good.
Especially if they can grab a center like Caleb Malhotra or Viggo Björck. The Vincent Trocheck situation took a bit of a turn with the contract extension of Charlie Coyle in Columbus, and if he does indeed stay full-term, getting another center to learn under him for now is crucial.
Defense
This draft features a three-headed monster on the blue line, and all three are equally capable of having fantastic NHL careers. Chase Reid, Keaton Verhoeff, and Carson Carels will all be fine defenders in the big leagues, and the Rangers have to bite on one of them.
The Blueshirts blue line is in shambles. Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov may need to be split up, Braden Schneider may not be with the Rangers next season, and the youth are just not ready to make the jump yet. Getting an NHL ready defenseman, fresh out of the box, is the single most important need from this draft. There's a chance that none of the top three are ready to make the jump, and in that case, the team needs someone who will be ready soon.
Which is more important?
The defense is much more important. Establishing a consistent and flourishing top-four defenseman group should be at the top of the list for this offseason. Grabbing Carels or Reid can go a long way toward fixing many of the Rangers' headaches.
As this retool goes on, that should be the first thing that they restock and fix, as it sets up the potential of putting together a great forward group. Getting production from the back-end is going to help in droves over the next few years while guys like Perreault continue to develop.
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