NY Rangers Address Secondary Need With Fifth Pick in NHL Mock Draft

Who did the New York Rangers take with the fifth pick in a recent mock draft?

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

The New York Rangers are getting set for the NHL Draft at the end of the month and this will be an important time for the franchise. 

Coming off a last place finish in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers will be on the clock with the fifth overall pick. This was a bit of a disappointing two-spot drop for the team, especially when looking at their needs and how this draft might shake out. 

Despite the drop, New York is going to have the chance to add an impact player, and that is something that they need. With a retool going on for the last couple of years, the Rangers have missed the playoffs two straight seasons, and certainly don’t want to make it a third. 

While the team has a ton of cap space to use in free agency, this class isn’t shaping up to be the best and the Rangers might not look to spend a large portion of it. If that ends up being the case, they will be relying on the draft to help them improve. 

Hannah Stuart of Bleacher Report recently released a new mock draft and had the Rangers taking the talented defenseman Carson Carels. 

Carels Continues to Emerge as Likely Choice

General view of a flag being waved by New York Rangers / John Jones-Imagn Images

With less than a month to go before the NHL Draft, things are starting to take shape for what the top five might look like. As expected in the mock, Gavin McKenna went to the Toronto Maple Leafs with the first overall pick. The San Jose Sharks, who will be a bit of a wild card with the number two pick selected defenseman Chase Reid, who has established himself as the best defenseman in the draft. 

Following the top two picks, it was then Caleb Malhotra and Ivar Stenberg going three and four. With the top three forwards coming off the board, the Rangers taking Carels makes sense. The talented defenseman might be able to help the team very soon, and fills a need for them on the left-hand side. 

While getting one of the top three forwards would be ideal, it isn’t looking like any of them are going to fall to New York. However, the Rangers could entertain the idea of moving up in the draft, and perhaps a swap with the Sharks could make sense for both sides. If they elect to stay put, Carels is certainly a logical and good option for them.