Breaking Down if NY Rangers Should Trade Second of Two First Round Picks

Will the New York Rangers end up trading one of their two draft picks?

May 8, 2025; Tarrytown, NY, USA; New York Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury speaks during a press conference to introduce new head coach Mike Sullivan at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown, New York May 8, 2025. / The Journal News-Imagn Images

Following a disappointing campaign, the New York Rangers are entering a very important offseason in which they need to make some improvements if they are going to be a playoff contender. Fortunately, they will have some options. 

As the Rangers head into the summer, they are going to be in a strong position to make some improvements to their roster. With a fair amount of cap space, free agency will undoubtedly be one area for the team to seek help in. Unfortunately, there isn’t any superstar available on the open market, and the main focus for New York might be to make a trade. 

With a good amount of young assets, the team will undoubtedly be in the mix for some help if great players become available. Having the cap flexibility is a good thing when it comes to trades, and the Rangers have plenty of it. Furthermore, while young players are important to have in order to get a deal done, draft capital is also key. With two first-round draft picks, New York trading one of them could very well be on the table. 

Trading Second First-Round Pick Wouldn’t Be Surprising 

NHL Draft stage / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With the first of the two draft picks for the Rangers this year being guaranteed in the Top 5, the team knows that they will be getting an impact player at the top of the draft. Depending on how the ping pong balls drop, New York could very well have the first overall pick. 

While that would be a massive jolt for the franchise, getting a potential new star, the team is still hoping to contend in the 2026-27 campaign. In order to accomplish that, they are going to need some help. 

With free agency not shaping up to be the greatest this year, the team might have to go on to the trade market in order to make some significant improvements. If that ends up being the chosen path, using the second of their first-round picks makes sense. 

That pick is likely going to be toward the end of the first round, with the pick being the better between the Dallas Stars or the Carolina Hurricanes from the K’Andre Miller trade. With that pick being later on, it could be used as a valuable piece for them to get an NHL-ready player that can help right away. With a desire to compete and get back into the playoffs, if the right player becomes available, New York should have no attachments to that pick.