Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn ImagesThe NHL Draft Lottery is slated to take place on May 5, in what will be a critical night for the New York Rangers.
With one game remaining for the Rangers this season, they currently slot 30th in the NHL’s standings with 75 points, only ahead of the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks.
That means the Blueshirts have the third-best odds to land the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
As it stands right now, the Rangers have a 11.5% chance to get the first pick, 11.2% chance to get the second pick, 7.8% chance to get the third pick, 39.7% to get the fourth pick, and 29.8% chance to get the fifth pick.
“Of course I have interest,” Mike Sullivan said of the draft lottery. “But I just don’t think right now with where we’re at — I’m immersed in this daily endeavor of trying to do my very best to help this team continue to move forward.
“And it starts with trying to instill the right habits and trying to hold the group accountable to a certain standard — a standard that we want to be proud of. And it starts with attitude, effort, energy, things of that nature. I’m trying to help us get better, and that’s where all my energy is right now. There’ll be a time for (draft conversation). It’s not now.”
The Rangers had won five out of six games before most recently losing three games in a row, ultimately helping them increase their odds of landing a higher pick in this year’s draft.
Despite clinching last place in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers can still leapfrog the Calgary Flames in the overall standings.