Rangers Hold Fifth Overall Pick, Dropping Two Spots In Lottery

The New York Rangers will hold the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, dropping two spots where they were originally slotted. 

Going into the NHL Draft Lottery, the Rangers held a 11.5% chance to get the first pick, 11% chance to get the second pick, 8.1% chance to get the third pick, 40.3% chance to get the fourth pick, and 29.8% chance to get the fifth pick. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs won the lottery and will hold the first pick, while the San Jose Sharks will select second, the Vancouver Canucks will select third, and the Chicago Blackhawks will select fourth. 

Some of the top prospects in this upcoming draft include Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, Carson Carels, Chase Reid, and Daxon Rudolph.

“It's exciting because we can potentially add a high-quality player that could potentially be a New York Ranger for a long time,” Mike Sullivan said. “And so from that standpoint, it's really exciting.”