New York Rangers win 2020 NHL Draft Lottery, Alexis Lafreniere

Despite losing in the Qualifying Round, the New York Rangers are going to draft Alexis Lafreniere after winning the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery.

The New York Rangers are going to be a dangerous team with Alexis Lafreniere entering the fold. The teenage phenom is going to be the first-overall pick in the draft and the ping pong balls came up in favor of the Rangers.

This is massive news and it softens the blow of the disappointing Qualifying Round loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Lafreniere doesn’t exactly fill the team’s need for a top-notch center, but this isn’t a situation where the Rangers will feel bad for themselves. The 18-year-old has a chance to be a transformational player for the organization.

The Rangers have been rebuilding for the last couple of years, but they’ve had tons of luck in the draft and with signing free agents. Last year, they jumped up to the No. 2 overall pick—Kaapo Kakko—and signed the biggest free agent on the market—Artemi Panarin.

Add in the fact that Igor Shesterkin looks like the real deal and the Rangers are going to be a force to be reckoned with. One has to wonder why Shesterkin was “deemed unfit to play” in the first two games of the Qualifying Round. Regardless of the motive, it’s resulting in the Rangers winning the ultimate draft lottery prize.

The rest of the Metropolitan Division could be in trouble if these young guys put it all together and Panarin continues to put up absurd numbers.