Why Rangers in ‘really good spot’ with No. 5 pick in 2026 NHL Draft
Even with losing the lottery, moving back two spots, and amid much wheeling and dealing of draft picks by other teams in recent days, the New York Rangers are well-positioned to land a really good player with the No. 5 selection in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday.
So says Chris Peters of FloHockey, who spoke with Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast this week.
“I think this year, five is a really good spot to be because you get some clarity and then you get whoever that next player is on your list. I think you’re going to be very happy with who that player is,” Peters explained. “You look at the different positions and could it be a (defenseman) Carson Carels or (center) Caleb Malhotra or another one of those premium defensemen.”
At the heart of what Peters believes is that this is deep draft class in the top half of the first round. He expects Penn State forward Gavin McKenna to go first overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and sees SHL forward Ivar Stenberg and Sault Ste. Marie defenseman Chase Reid also being selected before the Rangers are on the clock. There are several options about which other player is picked before the Rangers are up at No. 5.
But the bottom line is, there are plenty of excellent choices there for the Rangers.
“So, I think if you’re the Rangers right now, you have to feel pretty confident,” Peters offered. “The one thing you’re not confident about is how the four picks ahead of you are going to go, and if anyone’s going to try and jump in there and try to move up, all these different things that come into play when you’re talking about making a pick this high. But I do think this year, it’s a good range to be able to get that next best available player relative to who you value the highest.”
Peters spoke before all hell broke loose Tuesday, when four major NHL trades went down. However, even with a bunch of draft picks getting moved, the only change in the draft order ahead of the Rangers in the first round was the Buffalo Sabres moving into the No. 4 slot after dealing defenseman Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks.
So, that’s a wild card, of sorts. Plus the San Jose Sharks added the No. 9 pick in a trade that sent forward William Eklund to the Ottawa Senators. That gives the Sharks two selections in the top-nine and could put the No. 2 overall pick in play for another possible trade. Or it could change San Jose’s draft strategy with whom they select at No. 2.
Though Peters didn’t predict these trades, he was prescient about the Blackhawks plans.
“Chicago is a real wild card too because they have so many prospects, they’ve picked in the top five so often … like they should be looking for more immediate help as much as anybody, and there’s really no immediate help in this draft,” he said.
Rangers weigh their options with No. 5 pick in 2026 draft
The Rangers have a very shallow pool of prospects and need help at every position — meaning it’ll be interesting to see who they come away with at No. 5. They haven’t selected this high in the first round since 2020, when they chose Alexis Lafreniere with the No. 1 overall pick. The year before, they selected another forward, Kaapo Kakko, at No. 2.
This year, there’s a good chance the Rangers land a defenseman at No. 5.
“You look at this class, and this D class, it’s just really tremendous,” Peters said. “I think you have multiple top-four, top-pairing style defensemen, which you just don’t get very often [in the same draft].”
Carels, a left shot, and Reid, a righty, are viewed by many as the two best defensemen in this draft class. Each is an NCAA commit next season — Carels to North Dakota and Reid to Michigan State.
“Carels is more advanced than anyone else defensively. Reid still needs a bit more defensively, but I think he has the want and the willingness defensively, it’s not like he’s one-dimensional or anything,” Peters explained. “They’re both incredible skaters. Carels is more physical between the two; Reid is the more naturally offensive player I feel like, and the better of the two goal-scorers. To me, those are the top two guys on the blue line, and I think one of them will be available at five.”
There’s also Alberts Smits, a big defenseman who played professionally in Europe, and represented Latvia on the international stage at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, World Junior Championship, and IIHF World Championship.
“I think Smits is the most NHL-ready of any player in this draft, not just playing against the level he did this year, but the physical maturity he has … 6-foot-3, 200-plus pounds, solid muscle, great skater, highly intelligent player, not super offensively gifted, but makes good passes. I could see him slotting in and not being out of place,” was the scouting report from Peters.
Carels, Reid, Smits, Malhotra, Viggo Bjorck. Yes, the Rangers should land a really good player with the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft. There’s plenty of work to be done after that selection, the Rangers have 11 picks in total, including another (No. 26) in the first round, and seven in the first three rounds.
But they really need to to nail their first selection Friday night.
“I think they’re going to do everything possible to hit a home run because it is an important pick.”
