The New York Rangers entered the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery with hopes of moving up from the third-overall slot. The result, unfortunately, did not sit too well with fans. The Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks stole the spotlight, nabbing the first and second-overall picks, respectively.
When everything was said and done, the Rangers ended up with the fifth-overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft.
So, what now? Where do the Rangers go from here?
The easy answer is to say New York should just keep its pick. The club has plenty of great choices in the top five. As such, the club can’t really go wrong by keeping it. Even if not landing the top pick seems like a massive letdown, the good news is that this year’s draft is so deep that the top 10 picks could turn out to be franchise cornerstones.
That situation means the Rangers will have to figure out how to go about utilizing their pick. Again, the easy way out is to take the best player available. The Blueshirts have needs across the board. That’s why the best player available at virtually any position would work well.
Now, let’s assume for a minute that the Maple Leafs take Gavin McKenna at #1. That would leave the Sharks with Ivar Stenberg at #2. Then, the Vancouver Canucks at #3 would have an interesting choice. Vancouver could just take Caleb Malhotra, son of Abbotsford Canucks coach Manny Malhotra.
At #4, the Chicago Blackhawks could target one of the top two defensemen in the draft. At that point, the Rangers could take the other top blueliner in the draft.
Would Rangers Be Better Off with Forward or Defenseman?
So, here’s a question for the ages: Would the Rangers be better off with a forward or a defenseman?
The answer boils down to the best player available. Assuming the picks previously outlined, the Blueshirts would do well by taking one of Keaton Verhoeff or Chase Reid.
Tankathon shows Verhoeff going to the Rangers at #5. That’s a solid pick. Verhoeff was considered a main contender for the top-overall pick for a while. However, his stock has slid somewhat, given Reid’s standout play and Stenberg’s rise among ranks.
Now, fans could argue that the Blueshirts need a scoring winger to offset the loss of Artemi Panarin. That would make sense if one of McKenna or Stenberg magically landed on the Rangers’ lap at #5. However, there’s a fat chance of that happening.
Perhaps Malhotra might still be on the board at #5. If that’s the case, New York would do well to take a forward who projects as a top-line center.
What to read next:
The Harsh Reality of New York’s 1st-Rounder
While the Rangers could get a fantastic player with their first-round pick this year, the harsh reality is that he might not impact the team right away.
This situation is especially true of a defenseman. Blueliners rarely enter the NHL and immediately hit the ground running. Matthew Schaefer was an exception to the rule this season.
But beyond extraordinary talents like Schaefer, if the Rangers are serious about getting their first-rounder to hit the NHL sooner, rather than later, their best bet might be taking a winger. The wing is typically easier to ease into than center or defense.
Ultimately, it will be interesting to see what the Blueshirts do. But there’s certainly tremendous long-term potential waiting for the Rangers.
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