John Lilley Shares How NY Rangers Handled Selections in 2026 NHL Draft

The New York Rangers had a clear game plan going into the 2026 NHL Draft.

Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Alberts Smits reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center. / Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers were incredibly busy during the 2026 NHL Draft, completing three trades and making nine selections.

Fans have to be excited about the team’s outlook not only for the upcoming season, but for years to come after how well things went during the draft. Major holes on the roster were addressed, and the pipeline was restocked with high-end, young talent.

However, there are going to be some people questioning some of the draft picks. Out of the nine selections made, five of them were left-handed defensemen. It was something that the director of player personnel and director of amateur scouting, John Lilley, spoke about at the conclusion of the draft.

It wasn’t something the Rangers had planned on doing when the draft got underway, but that is how the board unfolded, and they stuck to the evaluations and rankings they put together.

Rangers selected five left-handed defensemen

Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; NHL prospect Alberts Smits before the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center. / Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

"Sometimes it’s just the way the list falls. This year certainly seemed a little D-heavy anyway. … To deviate from it and jump six, seven spots (for a forward)… it just kind of goes against what you’ve tried to build the entire season with your list," Lilley said, via Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic on X.

New York got things started with the No. 5 overall pick, selecting Albert Smits as the first left-handed defenseman. The first of their two second-round picks, No. 64, was used on Benjamin MacBeath.

With the No. 77 selection, Charlie Morton heard his name called. The Rangers then added Andre Mondoux and Ivan Patrikhayev at Nos. 162 and 193 to round out the five left-handed defensemen selected.

The other selections made were goalie Danai Shaiikov at No. 64, center Tomas Chrenko at No. 81, left winger Spencer Bowes at No. 102 and right winger Darian Anderson at No. 163.

Lilley on taking 5 LHD out of the 9 picks:

"Sometimes it’s just the way the list falls. This year certainly seemed a little D-heavy anyway. … To deviate from it and jump six, seven spots (for a forward)… it just kind of goes against what you’ve tried to build the entire…

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) June 27, 2026

Given the current state of the franchise, it makes all the sense in the world to go with the best player available on their board each time they come on the clock. There were needs up and down the NHL roster and for the organizational pipeline, but instead of reaching for specific positions, they picked the best player available.

It is a strategy that can help down the road. As long as the pipeline is stocked, a team can maintain flexibility and maneuverability. In the future, if there is another franchise around the league in need of left-handed defensemen help, New York is overflowing with options and could make a deal to fill another need.

The biggest of the three trades was acquiring Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights, who then signed a massive contract extension. One trade was completed with the Nashville Predators and another with the Seattle Kraken.