Why NY Rangers Should Not Trade Fifth Overall Pick

Here's why the New York Rangers should not trade the fifth overall pick.

NY Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury speaks during a press conference to introduce new head coach Mike Sullivan at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown, New York May 8, 2025. / Peter Carr/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New York Rangers are going to be heading into one of the most important offseasons for the franchise in quite some time. With a desire to improve, the Rangers need to get things right. 

As New York heads into the offseason, the team is going to be armed with some good assets to make the improvements that they desire. On the trade market and in free agency, they will have a plethora of cap space to use in order to make some of the improvements to the team that they need. 

While the brass of the Rangers might have highlighted a need to improve their bottom six forwards and land a puck-moving defenseman, getting a scorer for the top six seems like the most likely area that they would like to upgrade. 

Furthermore, while their cap space will present them with some excellent flexibility, they also have two picks in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. Having two selections will give the Rangers some nice flexibility, but the team would be wise to hold on to at least one of them, and the choice should be clear. 

Rangers Should Keep Fifth Pick

NHL Draft video / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While it was a disappointing night for New York during the NHL Draft Lottery, falling to the fifth overall pick, there will likely still be a talented player there for them to take. The San Jose Sharks seem like the team that could really shake things up. It was the Sharks who took the biggest move up in the lottery, and they are a team that isn’t far off from making the playoffs. 

What they end up doing with the second overall pick will be worth watching. They don’t have a massive need on the wing, but adding a defenseman or trading the pick could be an option. 

Depending on what San Jose does, it could have a massive impact on who will be available for the Rangers. If a player like Caleb Malhotra or Ivar Stenberg fell to them at the fifth pick, it would undoubtedly be seen as an ideal scenario. However, while adding a forward would be nice, there are some good defensemen as well. 

Improving the defense isn’t a major need with Adam Fox still playing at a very high level, but young talent on the roster is never a bad thing to have. While it will be tempting to move the pick if a superstar is available, New York seems like they are more than just one player away from being a Stanley Cup contender.