NY Rangers Have Worst-Case Scenario in 2026 NHL Draft Lottery

The New York Rangers had the worst-case scenario happen to them on Tuesday night.

Nov 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; General view of a flag being waved by New York Rangers staff during the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden. / John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers came into the NHL Draft Lottery hopeful to get a little lucky and perhaps land the first overall pick. However, Lady Luck was not on their side on Tuesday. 

It was a horrible season for the Rangers, who finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference and the third-worst record in the league. New York was a team coming into the year that figured to be a playoff contender. However, they were far from that, following a slow start, and the team never got going. 

Injuries played a part in their struggles, and the group severely underachieved. While most teams that finished with one of the worst records in the league would be considered in rebuilding mode, New York believes that they can retool and contend next year. There is certainly reason to believe that they can accomplish that goal, but they also must be thinking about the future. 

On Tuesday, the Rangers were anxiously awaiting to see where they would land in the NHL Draft with the NHL Draft Lottery taking place. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well for the team. 

Rangers Get Worst-Case Scenario

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Coming into the NHL Draft Lottery, hopes were undoubtedly high that New York was going to be able to land either the first or second overall pick. With their chances of finishing with the third pick being the lowest, the Rangers were hoping to move up and not down. 

Unfortunately, that ended up not being the case. New York knew coming into the lottery that the lowest they could be was fifth. With both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the San Jose Sharks moving up, it moved the Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks, and the Rangers all to their lowest possible spots. 

While the team can still add an impact player with the fifth overall pick, it certainly makes things a bit more interesting for the franchise. New York has a desire to improve and contend this offseason, and perhaps they might be a bit more willing to entertain moving a fifth overall pick compared to something in the Top 3. 

That will certainly be a discussion to have, but for now, Tuesday night ended up being a worst-case scenario for the Rangers. With the NHL Draft at the end of June, New York will have ample time to scout some of the young talent. Following a couple of lackluster picks in the Top 5 in 2019 and 2020, they will undoubtedly be looking to do better this time around.