There’s a lot to sort out when analyzing the New York Rangers’ move to transfer their 12th overall pick in this year’s draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins and keep their 2026 first-round pick.
The bottom line is that the Rangers made the right decision.
As part of the terms of the J.T. Miller trade with the Vancouver Canucks, the Rangers either had to give up their 2025 or 2026 first-round pick.
It may be frustrating for fans not to see the Rangers make a first-round selection on Friday, but it will be worth it in the long run.
The Rangers needed to keep their 2026 first-round pick for a couple of different reasons.
First off, according to TSN’s Pierre Lebrun, part of the thinking for the Rangers in moving this year's pick is to potentially be able to use their 2026 first-rounder for a move at the trade deadline if they are in a position to contend.
Despite missing the playoffs during the 2024-25 season, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury does not seem to be planning on tanking.
The team’s core filled with some talented veteran players is primed for a bounce-back season with the playoffs in sight.
If the Rangers are sitting in a playoff position at the time of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline and feel they are ready to compete for a Stanley Cup, it’s important that Drury has this first-round pick in his back pocket, so he can potentially explore trading it for a win-now player to help boost the roster ahead of the postseason.
Rangers Transfer 12th Overall Pick To Penguins, Deciding To Keep 2026 First-Round Pick
The New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers" target="_blank">Rangers</a> will give up the 12 overall pick in this year’s draft as part of the J.T. Miller trade and they’ve decided to keep their 2026 first-round pick.
Without a first-round pick, the Rangers’ competitors in the Eastern Conference will have an advantage over them to acquire talent in hopes of making a deep playoff push.
In the case that the Rangers implode during the 2025-26 season, the team will still have a quality first-round selection which they can use to draft a prominent prospect.
The 2026 NHL draft class is supposed to be better and deeper than this year’s prospect pool, which makes the Rangers 2026 pick a lot more valuable.
Drury decided to be patient instead of looking into this year’s draft. It’s a move that Rangers’ fans may actually be praising in a few months time.