The New York Rangers had anything but lottery luck last week. Despite having the third best odds of winning the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Rangers dropped down to the No. 5 spot after getting jumped over by the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks for the first and second overall picks, respectively. With that, Rangers fans came to the realization that the team will miss out on the top prospects like Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, or Caleb Malhotra.
There was a bit of a glimmer of hope, as Sharks general manager Mike Grier said that he "is open to listening" on offers for the second overall pick. After all, the Sharks have a more immediate need at defenseman than at forward. That does open the door for the Rangers to try and trade up to the second overall pick if they did want a forward prospect like Stenberg or Malhotra. But how likely is it?
The Athletic Rangers reporter Vince Mercogliano discussed the possibility of the Rangers moving up to get the second overall pick. But after talking with league sources, Mercogliano says it's unlikely the Sharks will move on from the No. 2 selection, while citing how there has been such a low amount of times a top two selection has been traded since the lottery was implemented in 1995.
"A couple of sources were skeptical about the Sharks trading the pick at all, with one asking, “How many drafts have those top picks ever really changed?' So I asked NHL Stats for an assist and found out that a top-two pick has only been traded five times since the lottery was instituted in 1995 and none since 2003, when the Panthers sent the No. 1 pick (Marc-Andre Fleury) to the Penguins for the No. 3 pick (Nathan Horton). That was also the last time two teams traded within the top five, making it 22 years and counting since we’ve seen such a deal," writes Mercogliano.
Sharks trading No. 2 pick in 2026 NHL Draft looks unlikely for Rangers
As Mercogliano points out, there hasn't been many trades for the first or second overall picks in over 20 years. Specifically since 2003 when the Florida Panthers traded the No. 1 pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the No. 3 pick. Ever since then, the teams that won the first and second overall picks stayed put and took the players they wanted.
Mercogliano does bring up the buzz from fans about potentially trading defenseman Braden Schneider to the Sharks in an effort to move up to the second overall pick. But Mercogliano writes that he's uncertain that the Rangers would give up Schneider to move up three spots in the draft, and that he's unsure if the Sharks would even be interested.
If the Sharks were to trade down with the Rangers, they would still likely have their choice of defenseman on the board, if that is the direction they are going in with their first round pick.
The Rangers desperately need some young forward pieces on their roster. While the team did see some serious potential from Gabe Perreault, Adam Sykora, and Tye Kartye, the roster is still a work in progress. Not to mention some veteran players could be on the move as they continue their retool, with Vincent Trocheck being the obvious name worth keeping an eye on. They could use a Stenberg or a Malhotra to add to their organization, as they could be cornerstones to their franchise in the future. The thing is, barring a surprise or two, Stenberg and Malhotra are not going to be on the board by the time the Rangers are on the clock.
As of now, it seems the Rangers have to be prepared to pick from the No. 5 spot in the first round.
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