John Jones-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/8253c991-c6b6-48f2-8cdf-960991f79582.jpeg] John Jones-Imagn Images The NHL Draft lottery is set to take place tonight, as all eyes will be on the New York Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers] to see if the ping pong balls will be on their side. To close out the 2025-26 season, the Rangers finished 30th in the NHL league standings with a 34-39-9 record and 77 points, which means the Blueshirts have the third-best odds to land the first overall pick. At the May 5 draft lottery, the Rangers will have 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. “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.” The last time the Rangers drafted in the top five was in 2020 when they selected Alexis Lafrenière with the first overall pick, and in 2019, the Blueshirts selected Kaapo Kakko with the second overall pick. “We’re excited it’s in the top five,” Chris Drury said of the Rangers’ 2026 first-round pick. “Will see on May 5 to where it is.”
