The Rangers ended the season with the third-worst record in the NHL just behind the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks. Even if they get jumped by two other teams in the draft lottery, the lowest they can pick is #5.
With that in mind, here’s my “way too early” Top 5 prospects:
- Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State
- Ivar Stenberg, LW/RW, Frolunda HC
- Chase Reid, D, Soo
- Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford
- Keaton Verhoeff, D, North Dakota
TRADE BAIT
Despite the good vibes at the end of the season, I still expect the Rangers to trade Braden Schneider and Vincent Trocheck. Also, I would urge the Blueshirts to see if Alexis Lafreniere’s trade value went up with his strong finish — 12 goals, 13 assists in his final 25 games.
If Lafreniere can bring in a second lottery pick (perhaps Seattle), it would free up money for the Rangers to replace him with pending Buffalo Sabres free agent Alex Tuch.
PAIRS
I’m a big believer in building chemistry using pairs. Here are five pairs that I would like to see Mike Sullivan reunite in October:
- Mika Zibanejad (C) and Gabe Perreault (LW)
- JT Miller (C) and Tye Kartye (LW)
- Noah Laba (C) and Will Cuylle (LW)
- Vladislav Gavrikov (LD) and Adam Fox (RD)
- Matthew Robertson (LD) and Will Borgen (RD)
Four of the five were together down the stretch. The exception was that Sullivan had Cuylle on the left side of Trocheck. With Trocheck expected to be dealt, Sullivan should reunite him with Laba. The two homegrown players played a few games earlier in the 2025-26 campaign and seemed to bring out the best in each other’s north-south offensive games.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Last spring, it was rumored that Alexis Lafreniere turned down an opportunity to play with Team Canada to train on his own. If true, nixing an opportunity to skate alongside Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon was a bad look for Lafreniere.
Crosby, MacKinnon and Rangers’ teammate Mika Zibanejad (for Sweden) all used the World Championships to wipe away the disappointment of 2024-25. If established stars were willing to participate, so should the disappointing former first overall pick.
Whether Drury’s plan is to keep Lafreniere or dangle him in trade talks, it is in everyone’s best interests if he instructs his representatives to reach out to Team Canada’s Jason Spezza and Brad Treliving to offer his services.
The 2026 IIHF World Championship will be held May 15 through May 31 in Switzerland.