NY Rangers Wisely Grab Best Player Available in Early 2026 NHL Mock Draft

Who did the New York Rangers grab in an early 2026 NHL Mock Draft?

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 saw the NHL Draft Lottery come to a close with the team not seeing the ideal results. 

On Tuesday night, the Rangers were hopeful that they would have been able to move up and grab one of the top two picks in the NHL Draft. Even though they haven’t had a ton of success drafting in the Top 3 over the last 10 years, it does present the team with an opportunity to get a new young star. 

Unfortunately, it ended up being a worst-case scenario for the Rangers who fell to the fifth pick, which was the lowest that they could have fallen. This is a very important offseason for New York coming up following missing the playoffs the last two seasons. The pressure is on for the team to contend for a playoff spot, but they are also trying to inject some new young talent to the team. 

Having the fifth overall pick can certainly help with that, but the Rangers will have to make sure to do their homework and make the right selection. 

Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about the Rangers taking defenseman Chase Reid with the fifth overall pick in an NHL Mock Draft. 

Reid Would Be Wise Choice

New York Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury / The Journal News-Imagn Images

Even though defense might not be a top priority for New York in the 2026 NHL Draft, him being there at five would be a good value pick. The Rangers would have undoubtedly loved to get either Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg, but those should be the first two picks in the draft. 

New York is in need of some help up the middle, but going for a center in this spot would feel like a reach and the Rangers can’t afford to mess this pick up. Reid is a very talented young player who would be able to help improve the team’s ability to carry the puck out of the zone. 

However, while he might be blocked a bit by Adam Fox, that would be a good problem for New York to have. Even though the NHL Draft Lottery might not have gone as they would have wished, the Rangers can still land an impact player at five. Reid is considered by many to be the best defenseman in the draft and landing him at five would be some nice value, even if it isn’t a pressing need.