Despite not making the 2025 National Hockey League playoffs one year after winning the Presidents' Trophy (most points in NHL) and being two wins away from an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, all attention will be on the New York Rangers in the Monday night NHL Draft Lottery.
Yes, the Blueshirts have a small chance — three percent to be exact — to own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Per Tankathon, the Rangers also have a 3.2 percent chance of draft No. 2 overall, a 0.1 percent chance of draft third overall, a 79.9 chance of drafting 11th overall, a 13.4 percent chance of drafting 12th overall, and a 0.5 percent chance of sliding back to 13.
While the odds of moving up are slim, recent history says to not let this discourage Blueshirt fans; when New York only had a 12.5 percent odds to secure the top selection in 2020 and ended up doing so, drafting Alexis Lafrenière No. 1 overall ahead of Quinton Byfield going to the Kings.
"Laffy Taffy" has since racked up 193 points (92 goals and 101 assists) across his five seasons in the league and has only missed a mere four games since the start of the 2021-22 season.
There has not been a shortage of recent news surrounding the Rangers. This year was the first time the Blueshirts have missed the postseason in a full 82-game season since 2018-19. As a result, former head coach Peter Laviolette was terminated and replaced by former Rangers assistant Mike Sullivan.
Sullivan joins the Blueshirts after being Pittsburgh's head coach for 10 seasons.
Draft Lottery Information
This year's draft lottery will be held in the Garden State at the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. Unlike last year where current San Jose Shark Macklin Celebrini was the consensus choice to be the No. 1 pick, it's not as clear this time around.
Defenseman Matthew Schaefer, and centers James Hagens and Michael Misa are likely to be in the running for the top-three picks with it not being a surprise if any are selected first overall.
Matthew Schaefer
Schaefer is a potential No. 1 defenseman in the NHL from the Erie Otters. He's a great skating blueliner who makes a lot of difficult offensive plays. He defends and competes at a high level and projects to play big all-situation minutes in the league. He stands 6'2" and is 183 pounds and as a left-handed shot would be a great future partner for Adam Fox.
James Hagens
Hagens plays for the Boston College Eagles, is an elite playmaking center with a very high ceiling. James’ processing speed on the ice is at such a high level that, when paired with his elite offensive skill set, it makes him a potential franchise-altering player — which is just what New York needs at the moment.
He scored 11 goals and 26 assists this season for a point total of 37 with Boston College. Should he become a Blueshirt, he will join teammate Gabe Perreault who signed with the Rangers after BC was eliminated from the 2025 NCAA National Championship Tournament.
Michael Misa
Ranked No. 2 by EliteProspects.com, Misa stands at 6'1" and weighs 184 pounds. He most recently recorded the most OHL (with Saginaw) points in a season since Patrick Kane and John Tavares did nearly two decades ago. Misa was one of nine players granted exceptional player status himself in 2022 and was selected No. 1 by Saginaw in the OHL Draft.
"I think there's definitely a lot of pressure, a lot of expectations (with exceptional status), but I think I handled it pretty good coming to my first year," Misa said previously to NHL.com. "It's really something you got to control on the ice. You just play your game and do what you do, but block out everything else, so that's kind of the way I look at it. Just don't look at any outside pressure.
How to Tune In
The lottery commences at 7:00 p.m. EST and is available on TV via ESPN, and also for streaming via Fubo.