NY Rangers Land Potential First-Pair Defenseman in NHL Mock Draft

Who did the New York Rangers land in a recent NHL mock draft

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan speaks to reporters after an 8-1 win against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers are getting set for the NHL Draft this week, and the opportunity to get some young talent for the team is right around the corner. 

Coming off a bad year, the Rangers are in need of some help in a lot of areas, and getting younger is one of them. New York has been in a self-proclaimed retool, and that has created some different expectations for the team compared to if they were rebuilding. 

The Rangers will have a lot of cap space to use this summer, but with a weak free agency class, it might not behoove them to spend a ton. However, while free agency might not be great, they do have two first-round picks. While the team could look to move one or both of the picks, getting some young talent into the organization would be ideal. 

Due to the team having the third-worst record in the league, they likely would have wanted to have a higher selection than fifth, but they will still be able to land an impact player. 

Hannah Stuart of Bleacher Report recently wrote a new NHL mock draft with the big day upcoming on Friday. For the Rangers, they selected defenseman Carson Carels with the fifth pick. 

Carels Would Be a Strong Addition 

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

Due to there being four teams ahead of New York, how the draft will shake out ahead of them will be interesting to see. At the same time, it seems like a sure thing that Gavin McKenna will be the first overall pick, things after that will be interesting. 

The San Jose Sharks will be the first wild card with the number two overall pick. They have a lot of good young wingers, but Ivar Stenberg is considered to be the second-best player in the draft. However, adding a defenseman is certainly going to be on the table for them. 

Furthermore, with it being extremely unlikely that Caleb Malhotra goes past his dad and the Vancouver Canucks, that will likely result in the three top forwards being off the board by the time the Rangers are on the clock. 

While the team would love to get a forward with the fifth pick, landing a player like Carels would be a good thing for the franchise. The talented defenseman projects as a first-pair player, and he could be a future key piece for the team. While there will be some options to choose from, Carels would be a good choice.