NY Rangers Wisely Take Defenseman With Big Shot in 2026 NHL Mock Draft

In a recent mock draft, the New York Rangers opted for the best player available.

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 are getting prepared for what is going to be a really important offseason for the franchise that they need to get right. 

Following missing the playoffs for the last two seasons and getting rid of some veteran talent along the way, it would be easy to say that the Rangers are in a rebuild. Despite being the worst team in the Eastern Conference, they are adamant that they are retooling and that likely creates an expectation to be a contender for a playoff spot next season. 

There are some reasons to believe that the team will be able to achieve that goal with a good summer. Injuries to some key players, like Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin, played a role in the team underperforming, but scoring was also a major issue at times. 

Coming into the NHL Draft Lottery, New York was hoping for a little bit of luck and to grab one of the Top 3 picks. Unfortunately, they fell all the way to fifth, which was the lowest that they could have gone. Now, the team is going to have a lot of potential options to scout, and that could make things challenging. 

Scott Wheeler of The Athletic (subscription required) recently released a mock draft that had the Rangers landing defenseman Keaton Verhoeff. 

Verhoeff Would Improve Defensive Unit

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

With the current needs of New York, the team likely would have wanted to get one of the three top forwards in the draft. Unfortunately for them, in this mock draft, Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and Caleb Malhotra were all taken. 

It was a bit surprising to see Stenberg drop to number four in this mock, with many believing that he and McKenna would go one-two. However, with those three off the board, the Rangers going with Verhoeff makes sense. 

Even though defense might not be their most pressing need, adding talent is important, and taking the best player available in Verhoeff makes sense. With improving the offense being something that the team desires, he at least has a big shot that could help in that area. 

Overall, even though he might not be a perfect fit, he projects to be a good player and could be the best player available. For a team in need of young talent, they should be focused on getting the best player they can, rather than trying to reach for a potentially better fit.