Trade up? Trade down? Keep the pick? Rangers have options at No. 5
The New York Rangers came up one number short of winning the NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday, which would have given them the No. 1 pick at the draft in Buffalo on June 26-27. Instead, they not only missed out on the top pick, they ended up dropping to No.
5, as low as they could fall after finishing 30th in the overall standings. The Toronto Maple Leafs, who won the lottery and jumped from fifth to first, likely will select forward Gavin McKenna, who tore up junior hockey in 2024-25 and had an excellent freshman season at Penn State. But projections after that are all over the board.
The San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks, who have the three picks before New York, all have different needs and are at different stages of their rebuilds. Rangers GM Chris Drury, who told fans in a letter on Jan. 16 that the Blueshirts were beginning a “retool” — but specifically wouldn’t call it a “rebuild” — has plenty of flexibility as he ponders what to do in the opening round.
With just an 8. 5% chance of winning the lottery coming in, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be selecting first in the 2026 NHL Draft 🤯 pic. twitter.
com/Cs22fADYCB — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 5, 2026 The Rangers also own the Dallas Stars’ first-rounder, which will be anywhere from 23-27 (they’ll know the actual spot after the second round of the playoffs). New York will also have about $27 million in salary-cap space, according to PuckPedia, giving Drury plenty of wiggle room if he needs to retain some salary to get a trade done. Will Drury keep his picks, try to find a way to move up in the first round, trade back to add more draft capital to help a team that desperately needs quality depth and talent, or try to swing a big deal?
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