Complete Defenseman Prospect Could Be NY Rangers' Guy at Fifth Overall

Who will the New York Rangers take with the fifth overall pick?

Nov 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; General view of a flag being waved by New York Rangers staff during the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden. / John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers are getting set for an important stretch with the NHL Draft coming up, followed by free agency.

After a terrible year for the franchise in which it felt like they hit rock bottom, it should only be up from here. A last-place finish in the Eastern Conference was certainly not something that the team expected to see last year, but they had a couple of key players miss time and also traded their star forward, Artemi Panarin. 

With the Rangers trying to do some retooling and get a bit younger, they have accomplished that over the last couple of years. Unfortunately, this is a team that is still lacking high-end young talent, and they need to continue to try to improve. 

In the NHL Draft, New York will be on the clock with the fifth overall pick and also later on at 26. With a pick in the top five, they will be hoping to land a future star for the team, which is something they have struggled to do with recent lottery picks. While there is still some uncertainty about how the draft will shake out, the Rangers will have a chance to improve. 

Contributors for The Athletic (subscription required) recently released a mock draft in which the Rangers once again landed Carson Carels with the fifth overall pick. 

Carels Could Be Rangers Guy

Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; The video board shows the 20th overall pick for the Columbus Blue Jackets is about to be announced in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With the NHL Draft getting closer, the Rangers are going to soon have a tough decision to make regarding who they will be taking with the fifth overall pick. In this mock draft, the Sharks elected to take Chase Reid as the first defenseman off the board. As expected, the top three forwards were all gone by the time New York was on the clock. 

Since Reid came off, the Rangers were left with the other talented defenseman to choose from, and Carels was the choice. As a left-handed defenseman, he would fit an organizational need for the team, and there is a lot to like about his game. 

As a complete player on both ends of the ice, he could be a perfect pick for the Rangers. New York is looking for help on the blue line with a player who can skate well and help on the offensive end of the ice as well, while not being compromised defensively. 

Carels projects as a player that could be the answer for some of their needs and there has certainly been plenty of mock drafts that have linked him to the Rangers.