The long awaited day is here. The NHL offseason is here, beginning with the draft tonight and tomorrow. Friday will begin free agency. There’s a lot of action in a short amount of time, and it’s going to be a wild ride. For the NY Rangers, there is only one move we know they will make. As for the rest of the day, well that’s up in the air. Luckily, what to expect from the NY Rangers on draft day is a fun exercise.
The Rangers will draft Alexis Lafreniere
This seems like the easiest thing to expect from the NY Rangers on draft day. The Rangers will draft Alexis Lafreniere with the first overall pick. There are no realistic scenarios in which the Rangers give up the pick. It could happen. But it’s about as unlikely as Gary Bettman getting cheers when he presents the Stanley Cup.
In an offseason that leans to expect the unexpected, this is the only expected thing to actually, fully expect.
The Rangers will not draft at #22
Despite all the draft scenarios and the prospects that may be available, it seems pretty clear the Rangers will not make this pick. Jeff Gorton hinted at this on the Zoom call. The Blueshirts will use all assets available to improve the team. The most logical piece here is the 22nd overall pick.
This follows the same strategy as last year. The Rangers already had the 2nd overall pick, and they used their other pick to land Jacob Trouba. Who will the Rangers use the 22nd to acquire? That is still undecided.
There will be chaos
That #22 pick will be used in a trade, that’s my “wild” prediction. However it won’t be someone they’ve been linked to. The Rangers are notoriously good at hiding their trades. There are only a handful that we saw coming, and the overwhelming majority are of the Marc Staal variety.
Vince Dunn is the guy I want, but it’s unlikely. The Ducks might make good trade partners as well. However there is going to be a team out there that surprises us all. Maybe it’s the 8th overall pick from Buffalo? Maybe it’s the Flyers?
A decision will be made on Ryan Strome
The deadline to send Strome a qualifying offer is tomorrow at 5pm, but the Rangers won’t wait that long. There’s value in a short term deal, and there’s still the scenario he receives that qualifying offer.
Strome also has value in a trade. It seems there isn’t much value on his own, but as part of a package, it could be enough to land something tangible.
The Rangers will leave with another LD
This is the other “wild” prediction. The Blueshirts have enough pieces to make a trade to land a top flight LD. There are enough teams with internal budgets that could make things interesting for the Rangers.
The Blueshirts are primed to take advantage of these teams, as they don’t have that internal budget. They have ELC bonus concerns, but that’s it. This is why draft day and beyond are expected to be wild.
Buckle up folks.
Share:
More About:Draft