Rangers made an offer for Lindholm; Dolan wants to keep the Rangers 1st round pick?

Per Darren Dreger, and take this with a very large grain of salt, the Rangers made an offer for Elias Lindholm which was rejected (obviously). That piece may not need a grain of salt, but Dreger added that Rangers owner James Dolan wants to keep the Rangers 1st round pick, as the 2024 NHL Draft is at Dolan’s Vegas Sphere and he wants the Rangers to be involved in some capacity.

Naturally, some critical thinking is required as only half of this passes the sniff test. So we must consider sources.

For starters, let’s remember that Calgary Assistant GM Dave Nonis is Darren Dreger’s cousin. Gee, I wonder where Dreger got word that the Rangers made an offer for Lindholm? That part checks out. Now we must dive into the realm of educated guessing.

Given the likely source of the information and the easy-to-connect-dots to Calgary, we can probably assume with some level of confidence that Chris Drury did not have a 1st round pick in his offer for Lindholm. It’s an educated guess given the source and the rumor that Dolan doesn’t want to give up the Rangers 1st round pick.

Regarding that 1st round pick, that part doesn’t pass the sniff test. Given what we know about the Rangers injuries and roster holes, a 1st round pick is most likely going to be included in a deal to make the Rangers better. The Rangers are going to be buyers at the deadline, and hamstringing themselves like that isn’t a recipe for success in the playoffs.

This doesn’t mean the Rangers should throw away their 1st round pick, not by a long shot. But this rumor, likely fueled by Nonis and Dreger, doesn’t make sense. If the Rangers need to surrender a 1st round pick for the right player, they will. If the choice is between a Cup and a draft pick, the choice is clear.