Breaking Down Possible Scenario of Ivar Stenberg Falling to NY Rangers in NHL Draft

Here's how Ivar Stenberg could fall to the New York Rangers.

Jan 5, 2026; St. Paul, Minnesota, USA; Sweden forward Ivar Stenberg (15) celebrates his empty-net goal against Czechia during the third period in the final of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship ice hockey tournament at Grand Casino Arena. / Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers are getting set for the NHL Draft in less than a week, and the team will be waiting to see who is going to be available when they are on the clock at five. 

Coming off a season to forget, the Rangers will be drafting in the top five, looking to add an impact player. New York is a team that has been lacking in their prospect pool and with the fifth and 26th overall picks, they will have a chance to improve. 

Even though the draft is right around the corner, there is still some uncertainty about who will be available. The Rangers have a lot of needs on their team after the bad campaign, and they should have the best player available mindset. However, one of the areas that really held the team back was upfront in the scoring department. 

With free agency likely not providing the answers to help them long term in that area this summer, the draft could be their best chance. However, with four teams ahead of them, there is a lot of uncertainty. 

Peter Baugh and Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about the possibility that Ivar Stenberg could be the forward who potentially drops. 

Stenberg Could Fall 

Sweden forward Ivar Stenberg / Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

While it has been widely thought that all of the top three forwards would be off the board by the time the Rangers are on the clock at five, there could be a chance that Stenberg slips a little bit. 

Gavin McKenna appears to be the first overall pick in this draft, and he will be heading to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Furthermore, it would be a shocker if the Vancouver Canucks didn’t take Caleb Malhotra, especially after his dad was named the head coach. 

That leaves the San Jose Sharks and the Chicago Blackhawks as some potential wild cards in this draft. There have been rumblings about both potentially looking to move their picks, and defensemen are a need for both teams. 

With some talented prospects to choose from, there is certainly a scenario in which these two teams go defense over Stenberg. If that ends up being the case, the talented forward falling into the Rangers’ lap would be fantastic. 

While it is probably a bit unlikely that it happens, there is always a chance. New York would love to add one of the top three forwards in the draft, and perhaps they will get some luck next Friday.