NY Rangers Can Go in Many Different Directions With Fifth Pick

The New York Rangers are going to have a lot of possibilities with fifth overall pick

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

With the NHL Draft just a month away, the New York Rangers will be on the clock soon with the fifth overall pick. 

Following a disappointing drop in the NHL Draft Lottery, the Rangers dropped a couple of spots below where they were likely hoping, and that has created a bunch of possibilities for the team. 

If the team had landed in the top three as their record indicated, the choice for Chris Drury on who to take likely would have been a bit easier. However, now there are a lot more players that he will have to consider, and the pressure will be on. 

New York does not have a good reputation for drafting in the lottery, and with the fifth pick, they need to get an impact player. However, who they might choose is very much up for debate. 

Corey Pronman of The Athletic (subscription required) recently polled some NHL scouts and executives about what the Rangers might do with the fifth overall pick. With a plethora of options available, they ultimately decided that the team would take Keaton Verhoeff, but the opinions were mixed. 

New York Could Go In Plenty of Different Directions

North Dakota Fighting Hawks defenseman Keaton Verhoeff / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

When the Rangers are on the clock at number five, they will certainly be hoping that one of the three top forwards will be there. While Gavin McKenna figures to be the first overall pick, they will hope that either Caleb Malhotra or Ivar Stenberg falls to them at number five. 

That will certainly be some wishful thinking, and the reality is that going with a defenseman might be the best course of action for the team. This is a class that features some good ones, and while it isn’t a pressing need for the team to use a top-five pick on one, it might make the most sense. 

When it comes to Verhoeff, there is a lot to like, and he has been at times considered to be the best player at his position in the class. While that has gone to Chase Reid more so now, Verhoeff is still a good prospect. 

What was interesting was that with the left-handed Carson Carels still available, the group had the Rangers going with Verhoeff instead. However, with being far from a unanimous decision, what New York does with this pick will be hard to predict. Overall, if the team does go with Verhoeff, they will be getting a strong prospect for the right side of their defense behind Adam Fox.