Maple Leafs Landing First Overall Pick Might Make Star Available for NY Rangers

With the Toronto Maple Leafs landing the first overall pick, will they seek to rebuild and make a potential star available for the New York Rangers to pursue?

Apr 20, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The Toronto Maple Leafs logo at center ice before game one of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena. / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

With the offseason already starting for the New York Rangers after missing the playoffs, the team recently had some bad luck on Tuesday night. 

Following one of the worst seasons for the franchise in recent memory, the Rangers were watching the NHL Draft Lottery with plenty of interest on Tuesday night. Entering the night, New York had the third-highest odds of landing the first overall pick. Unfortunately, it ended up being a worst-case scenario for them, and they ended up with the fifth selection. 

While having a Top 5 pick can still result in the team landing a good talent, it was a disappointing night for the franchise. With the Rangers dropping back, one of the teams that jumped them in the lottery was the Toronto Maple Leafs. Like the Rangers, it was a horrible campaign for the Maple Leafs this year, but they got lucky on Tuesday night and landed the first overall pick. 

Now, the franchise will be able to decide between Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg, but with new leadership coming in, landing the first pick might also impact what the future will hold for Auston Matthews with the team. The star forward has a desire to win, and it will be interesting to see what happens with his future now that Toronto has won the lottery. 

Will the Maple Leafs Winning Lottery Make It More Likely Matthews Stays?

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

After missing the playoffs and seeing massive changes in the front office, it came as no surprise to see Matthews want to think about his future with the franchise. The star forward has been one of the best goal scorers in the league for many years, but with the Maple Leafs not making the most of playoff opportunities and the group around him getting older and retooled, a fresh start for Matthews is certainly in the cards. 

The Rangers are a team that is in need of a star player of the caliber of Matthews and would undoubtedly pursue him if he were to be made available. What will be interesting now is to see what the star thinks about the situation for the Maple Leafs. 

Getting the first overall pick will help the team in the future when whoever they take develops, but Matthews clearly wants to win, and even though the franchise is in a better position than they were before Tuesday, contending might still be a stretch. 

If Toronto elects to go into a rebuild with their newfound first overall pick, the Rangers should jump at the chance to try and acquire Matthews.