NY Rangers Wisely Urged to Move Up in 2026 NHL Draft

Should the New York Rangers move up in the NHL Draft?

Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; The video board shows the 20th overall pick for the Columbus Blue Jackets is about to be announced in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With the NHL Draft about a month away, the New York Rangers will be hoping to add some young talent to their team. However, making a trade could be on the table as well for the franchise. 

Coming off a bad campaign this season, the Rangers are a team that is in need of making some improvements. New York finished in last place in the Eastern Conference, and as expected, they have some needs. 

While the offense did improve down the stretch, that is the area that the team will likely be seeking to improve. With a need in the top six, finding that in free agency is going to be challenging, and the team must not overspend just because they have cap room. 

Since the Rangers have a desire to make a splash, it could be a bit more unconventional way that they go about it this summer. 

Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report recently wrote about one move that every team should make this offseason. For the Rangers, it was to trade up in the NHL Draft and get a young cornerstone player. 

Moving Up Makes Sense

General view of a flag being waved by New York Rangers / John Jones-Imagn Images

Due to the free agency class not looking strong and uncertainty about which players might be available on the trade market right now, moving up in the draft does make sense for New York. 

This is a team that is still in a retool, and making a big swing for a veteran might not be enough to turn things around. Being patient and continuing to develop some of their young talent might be the best course of action, and adding one of the top three forwards in the draft could help them accomplish that. 

While it would have been ideal for New York to just have had one of the top three picks, they do have the assets to move up. Furthermore, with apparently some willingness for the San Jose Sharks or the Chicago Blackhawks to move back in the draft, the Rangers could have options as well. 

Considering the team has been working so hard the last couple of years to accumulate assets and get younger, it would be a bit of a surprise to see them trade that all away unless a truly great player becomes available. However, if the price is right to move up a couple of spots, that could make a lot of sense for New York.