Why Rangers’ 2nd pick in 1st round of 2026 draft so crucial

Yet Drury must be disappointed that the chance to grab an elite prospect to plug into his top-six forward group almost certainly vanished with the lottery fall. With a pair of aging top-two centers in Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller, and a dearth of high-end scoring options on the wing, the Rangers must unearth a difference-making forward later in the first round.

Rangers can look to Gabe Perreault as proof of late first-round talent in draft

Danny Wild-Imagn Images

One of the few skilled young forwards with a high ceiling the Rangers do have is Gabe Perreault, who turned in a very promising rookie season in 2025-26, especially after joining the top line with Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere. It’s Perreault’s presence on the roster that should give Drury hope that he can come away from this draft with a potential top-six mainstay after all.

After all, the Rangers nabbed Perreault with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Perreault’s drop was considered to be due in large part to the deep talent pool of that draft, and his elite vision, hands and offensive abilities were there for the taking lower than expected in the first round.

Perreault finished with 12 goals and 15 assists in 49 games this season, and had nine goals and 10 assists in the final 23 contests – including his first career hat trick April 4. Finding chemistry with Zibanejad and Lafreniere, the just-turned 21-year-old flashed top-six skills and looks like a big part of the future.

Drury needs to pull off something similar if he’s indeed set on finding a top-six forward with the second pick in the first round this year. Zibanejad and Miller, the captain, are both 33. Lafreniere, the top overall pick in 2020, finished the season strong and totaled 24 goals and 33 assists in 82 games, but questions remain about whether he’ll ever become the franchise winger the Rangers thought they were getting six years ago.

Will Cuylle’s had consecutive 20-goal seasons; bot on a real contender, isn’t he more a force on the third line, not in the top six?

History shows Rangers can find top forward low in first round

The Journal News-Imagn Images

Doing so late in the first round probably won’t be as easy this time. As mentioned, the first round in 2023 was perceived to be stocked, giving Drury a shot at a player who might have been taken much higher in other years. This draft is also perceived to be a good one talent-wise for the top 10 spots, but not nearly as highly-rated throughout the first round as it was in Perreault’s year.

That said, the Rangers did hit on Perreault, and NHL Draft history suggests a star forward can be had at the bottom of the first round. Boston Bruins superstar David Pastrnak was selected 25th overall in 2014, and Los Angeles Kings star Adrian Kempe went four spots later. Philadelphia Flyers right wing Travis Konecny was the 24th selection in 2015, while the Vancouver Canucks took winger Brock Boeser one spot earlier. There’s also three-time 40-goal scorer Tage Thompson (St. Louis Blues, 26th in 2016).

More recently, the Dallas Stars took center Mavrik Bourque (20 goals and 21 assists this season) 30th overall in 2020. The Blues selected winger Jake Neighbours (64 goals over the past three seasons) four spots earlier that year, while rising wingers Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis) and Danila Yurov (Minnesota Wild) went 23rd and 24th, respectively, in 2022.

So what young forward might be a major find when the Rangers are on the clock for the second time in the first round this year? There are plenty of interesting candidates, such as big centers Ilia Morozov and Brooks Rogowski, speedy winger Adam Novotny or perhaps left wing Marcus Nordmark, a raw prospect who nonetheless possesses top-six abilities that can be honed with patience and a proper development path.

Whoever Drury and scouting director John Lilley zero in on should be someone the organization projects as a potential top-sixer. The Rangers are flush with young bottom-six options, and don’t need to add another using a first-round pick. Betting on high upside should be the play for Drury in the most important draft of his five-year tenure.

Only Lafreniere remains on the roster from a run of four consecutive top-10 picks from 2017-20 made by Drury’s predecessor, Jeff Gorton. That failure cost the organization dearly and probably shortened its championship contention window following the previous rebuild (“retool” this time) that began in 2018.

The current GM can’t afford to make that kind of mistake with another top-10 pick – but missing with their other selection, which appears likely to be a forward, would be a big blow as well. In fact, given the state of the Rangers’ talent pool up front, getting that pick right could end up being just as important as what the team does with the fifth overall choice.

Related Headlines

• How Rangers trade plans improved when Blue Jackets re-signed center Coyle
• Why former Rangers minor league coach reportedly on thin ice with Oilers
• New York Rangers report cards: Why coach grades higher than GM
• Why Rangers have big Drew Fortescue decision to make next season