The NHL Draft Lottery has spoken and the New York Rangers are slated to have a top 10 pick for the second consecutive draft.
The new offseason began for the New York Rangers with a victory of sorts, as the Blueshirts land a top 10 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft to continue the rebuilding process with. Pick number nine, to be exact.
#NYR are picking 9th in the Draft.
Also scheduled to pick 2 other times in the first…
2 times in the 2nd…
2 times in the 3rd…
And once in each of rounds 4-6. #NYRLottery @newyorklottery pic.twitter.com/8aAJNriHSS— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 28, 2018
This year’s draft class features a good crop of players that are ranked in the top 10, including some game-changing prospects on the defensive end.
The rest of the picks look like this
- 4. Ottawa Senators
- 5. Arizona Coyotes
- 6. Detroit Red Wings
- 7. Vancouver Canucks
- 8. Chicago Blackhawks
- 9. New York Rangers
- 10. Edmonton Oilers
- 11. New York Islanders
- 12. New York Islanders
- 13. Dallas Stars
- 14. Philadelphia Flyers
- 15. Florida Panthers
At this time, the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Montreal Canadiens are all in play for the first overall selection. Those picks will be announced between the second and third period of the Las Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks second-round playoff game later tonight.
This will be the second consecutive draft the Rangers will be selecting in the top 10. They drafted Lias Andersson last season seventh overall, after acquiring that pick from the Arizona Coyotes in the Derek Stepan trade.
Obviously, this wasn’t the ideal situation, as many fans hoped to be in at least the top five picks. Instead, the Rangers fall one spot from their predicted spot at eight.
The last time the New York Rangers selected ninth overall, however, they did get pretty lucky…
⬇️ Drafted 9th overall by #NYR pic.twitter.com/H2m6Zjz9cb
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 29, 2018
"We have a lot of draft picks, we have 3 first rounders, 2 second rounders, 2 thirds…we're going to have an exciting team and this is just the beginning."
– #NYR GM Jeff Gorton reacts to the Draft Lottery results.#NYRLottery @newyorklottery pic.twitter.com/p6DOZt058c— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 29, 2018
General manager Jeff Gorton was interviewed by the Rangers immediately following the lottery. As most assumed, he seemed disappointed that they weren’t able to move up but a top ten pick isn’t something to be too upset about.
Gorton did mention that the U18 tournament, which ends Sunday, will be something the Rangers staff will be watching closely. There are lots of names of interest playing in the tournament including a bunch for Team USA.
Oliver Wahlstrom, who is tied for the tournament lead in goals is a projected top 10 pick, as well as his linemate winger Joel Farabee. Another name to keep an eye on for later in the first round is defenseman K’Andre Miller, who’s currently playing top-four minutes for Team USA.
Although they may have fallen out of the “elite” range, the Rangers can do plenty of damage with their three first-round picks.
