The New York Rangers drop to 5th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. This was always a possibility, as they had a roughly 30% chance of dropping two spots. This happened because Toronto won the lottery to pick first overall, moving up from the 5th overall spot. The San Jose Sharks won the second draw, moving up from 9th overall to 2nd overall. Naturally with two teams moving ahead of them, the Rangers dropped from 3rd overall to 5th overall.
There will be many solid picks available at 5th overall. Given how desperately San Jose needs a defenseman, they may take someone like Chase Reid, meaning someone like Ivar Stenberg or Caleb Malhotra may drop to 5th overall. There’s no need to be dismayed. There’s still two months until the draft, and I’m sure the rankings will change many times until then.