Rangers need losses, not wins, to get premium pick and speed rebuild
Brad Penner-Imagn Images New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury told fans in a letter on Jan. 16 that it was time for a “retool,” though he denied the team was headed for a full rebuild. Drury can call his plan whatever he wants.
But with a second straight non-playoff season all but certain, a shallow talent pipeline and many of its top players on the far side of 30, the Rangers are in bad shape for the future. After the Blueshirts lost 6–3 to the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday — a game that saw them outshot 39-18 and outplayed all night — one thing is clear: Fans should stop hoping for a winning streak. The Rangers (28-33-8, last in the Eastern Conference and losers of three straight) are playing out the string, and their future likely would be better served by losing.
They won’t finish with the NHL’s worst record — the Vancouver Canucks will. But every Rangers victory between now and April 15 hurts their odds for a high pick in the NHL Draft Lottery. Running the Lottery Simulator I used PuckPedia’s lottery simulator to check possible outcomes.
The Rangers entered this week in fourth place with a 9. 5 percent chance to win and get the No. 1 pick.
I ran the simulator 20 times. The Rangers won the lottery four times. They finished second three times.