Why Trading Up in NHL Draft Doesn't Make Sense for NY Rangers

Here's why the New York Rangers should not trade 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

The New York Rangers are preparing for a very important offseason and one that could indicate what the plan for the franchise is going forward. Coming off another year in which they missed the playoffs, that plan feels a bit uncertain. 

After finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers have to look long and hard at what direction the team is going to take. With two first-round draft picks and a good amount of cap space, there is reason to believe that they can turn it around next season. 

Injuries to some key players like Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin didn’t help the record in the 2025-26 campaign. Toward the end of the year, with both of them healthy and some of the young players developing, the team did start to play a bit better. 

The offensive production for New York was a major issue, especially early on in the year. That figures to be a key area that the team will want to improve, but doing so could be a challenge. 

Even though they were one of the worst teams in the league, they fell to the worst possible selection they could have had at number five, and that has made things a bit more complicated for the team. 

Should Rangers Consider Trading Up?

Sweden forward Ivar Stenberg / Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

While options for potential players will be plentiful at number five, New York is a team that would have likely wanted to get one of the top three forwards in the draft. While Gavin McKenna will be the likely choice for the Toronto Maple Leafs with the first overall pick, Ivar Stenberg and Caleb Malhotra are two of the other top prospects and would be positional fits for New York. 

Unfortunately, both of these players are likely to be off the board when the Rangers are on the clock, and that could result in them having to pick someone who might not be a great fit. However, with the San Jose Sharks moving all the way to the number two overall pick, there is the possibility that they could look to move the pick with a plethora of talented young forwards already on the roster. 

This could be a pick that the Rangers look to swap with the Sharks, but the cost would be key. New York isn’t in a great position to be giving up assets for an unproven player, and even going up three spots in the draft could be steep. If the price is right, it makes sense to get either Malhotra or Stenberg, but it would likely cost the franchise too much.