Going into the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Rangers thought they had a great chance of picking first, and the chance at the rights to select young phenom Gavin McKenna. Instead, the Rangers draft plans will have to shift, as they will now be picking fifth after the draft lottery results. What could the Rangers do with the fifth pick to improve their roster? We’ll go over three possibilities for the Rangers draft plans with the fifth pick.
Jason Biggs, Michael Gandolfini and Chase Sui Wonders attend the Toronto Maple Leafs vs New York Rangers game.
Stick and Pick
New York could easily stay where they are and pick up a potential star. While it isn’t the star many fans were looking for, there are plenty of players at five that make sense for the Rangers’ needs. While the two studs of the draft in McKenna and Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg will be gone, there are a lot of solid defencemen for the Rangers to pick up.
For example, Chase Reid could be an interesting selection. Reid is a tall right-shot defenceman who lit up the OHL (Ontario Hockey League) for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, scoring 48 points in 45 games. Reid doesn’t project as a number one defenceman, but the Rangers don’t need that as long as Adam Fox remains on the roster. New York is reportedly looking for a puck-moving defenseman, and Reid is an interesting solution.
Chase Reid (2026) has been filling nets all year with @OHLHoundPower. Why would it be any different at the #WorldJuniors? 2-0 USA. pic.twitter.com/wr6Mni0PqD
— FloHockey (@FloHockey) December 26, 2025
Trade Down
New York may also look to trade their pick to move lower in the draft to stockpile draft picks in the coming years. There are a few teams that might be looking to move up, including a team like the Seattle Kraken. The Kraken were interested in trading for Artemi Panarin earlier this season, and that interest points to them wanting to make a big move. Seattle may try and trade up if there’s a player available they love, and New York could take advantage.
This situation is very unlikely, as the Rangers need to find high level players that can change the organization. Trading down forces the Rangers to an overall worse prospect, unless there’s a good player out there that is falling for some reason.
Trading Up
This is a very interesting scenario that shouldn’t be ruled out. Rangers beat writer Vince Mercogliano stated in a recent article that trading up is possible, especially noting the San Jose Sharks, which general manager Mike Grier said he’s open to. New York would love to move up and snag themselves a forward like Stenberg or McKenna, but centre Caleb Malholtra is a good option as well. With three out of the four teams picking in the top four basically guaranteed to pick a forward, the odds any of those players being available after pick four is unlikely.
The price for trading up will be very steep, and the Rangers may need to trade more than they’re willing to get to that spot. Braden Schnieder is expected to garner a lot of interest as he did at the deadline, but more pieces including forward Alexis Lafrenière will need to be added if New York wants to move up.
Overall Expectations
The Rangers will most likely stick at pick five. With most teams in the top four, namely the Chicago Blackhawks and the Vancouver Canucks desperately needing a star forward, odds are top wingers and centres will not be available. However, that means the Rangers will be able to take their pick of the litter among the defenceman prospects. While Reid is interesting, players such as Keaton Verhoeff and Carson Carels may have more offensive upside. There’s also Alberts Smits, an NHL-ready massive left defenseman who solves a lot of the Rangers current problems in their second line pairing.
It’s also worth noting that the Rangers do have the 26th-overall pick this year from the K’Andre Miller trade. Odds are, the Rangers will pick a forward prospect at that spot if they go defenseman at number five, but that player won’t be similar caliber to players available in the top of the draft.
Main Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
