As you all know, the worst case scenario happened for the Rangers, as they were jumped in the draft order by the Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks. There is no question that a lottery jump to either pick 1 or 2 would have made the Rangers draft pick a lot easier, and it does hurt not to have our pick of the litter at pick 5. But take heart in that this is a draft with minimal consensus at the top, and a huge group of legitimate prospects who fall into the second tier below McKenna/Stenberg/Reid. So who will the Rangers pick at 5th overall?
Below is my first mock draft for the top five picks. I will try my best to put on my GM hat for each of these teams, so hopefully it does not read as a “best case scenario” for the Rangers. I plan to do more of these as the draft process progresses and information emerges.
Pick 1: Gavin McKenna – LW – Toronto Maple Leafs
I don’t think McKenna is a lock to be the first pick, especially for a team like Toronto that has struggled to acquire a true number one defenseman to complement Matthews. But at this stage, he is my best guess for the pick here, although I expect him to struggle in the NHL next season. That being said, when his game comes off, he is a dynamic offensive talent who can make plays nobody else in the class can.
Pick 2: Chase Reid – RHD – San Jose Sharks
I don’t believe Stenberg is a lock here, even if he is probably my number one player in the class. The Sharks are already loaded with young offensive talent, and while I am a big believer in Dickinson, they lack a truly dynamic talent on the back-end. Chase Reid is going to be 1 on some team’s boards, so I don’t view this as purely picking for need.
Pick 3: Ivar Stenberg – LW – Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks are in no position to draft for need and can wait for next year’s stronger center class, as they will be picking very high again. For that reason, they go best player available and grab the player in the class with the highest floor and a top 3 ceiling in winger Ivar Stenberg. Perhaps he can get Elias Pettersson back to playing at a respectable level again.
Pick 4: Alberts Smits – LHD – Chicago Blackhawks
Malhotra will be a serious consideration here, and he is likely the pick if the Hawks no longer view Anton Frondell as a Center – he mostly played wing both in Sweden and after coming over this spring. But if they do view him as a long-term center, their future up the middle is set with him, Bedard, and Nazar. Korchinski looks like a miss at this point, so a left-handed D to complement Levshunov and Rinzel looks like a priority.
Smits could rise to this range as he has another chance to impress at the Men’s Worlds following a standout performance at the Winter Olympics in Milan. He offers more dynamic qualities than the other big defenseman in this draft (Verhoeff).
Pick 5: Caleb Malhotra – LHC – New York Rangers
The last name will scare off Rangers fans, but Malhotra is widely viewed as the top center in the class, and there is a good chance he goes at pick 3 or 4. Malhotra is THE riser of this draft class, transforming his stock from a possible late round pick to the draft’s prototypical center. I cannot speak to the offensive upside yet, but there is no debating that the finer details of his game have been widely praised. The Rangers come away with their best center prospect in my lifetime, even if I am not convinced he is a true 1C prospect.
Aside from McKenna and Stenberg, I really think almost anyone could be available at pick 5 and nothing is off the table. To me, there is also no clear option at this point in time. Some other players I think should be considered include: Carson Carels, Daxon Rudolph, Tynan Lawrence, Viggo Björck, Keaton Verhoeff, Ryan Lin, and maybe even Wyatt Cullen.
I am aware that some people have probably already formed strong opinions on many of those players. I am looking forward to adding color to each of these players’ profiles throughout the spring. While the scouting reports I plan to write will not be as comprehensive as my Gabe Perreault video/written report from 2023, as I don’t have the time anymore, they will be detailed, and I look forward to exploring the uncertainty the draft lottery provided.