Rangers Fall to 5th After Draft Lottery, Who Will They Select?

The New York Rangers will select 5th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft after falling two spots at the NHL Draft Lottery.

Alexis Lafreniere, Gabe Perreault, and Mika Zibanejad have been on fire since the Olympic Break. Waiver Wire pick-up Tye Katye has been terrific since joining the Blueshirts, who are 6-1-2 since they returned to action and have won 4 in a row.

Despite buzz circulating the New York Rangers and center Vincent Trocheck, General Manager Chris Drury did not budge on his asking price for the veteran and held onto Trocheck at the NHL Trade Deadline.

The New York Rangers traded star forward Artemi Panarin just ahead of the Olympic Roster Freeze to the LA Kings, for prospect Liam Greentree, a conditional 2026 3rd, and conditional 2028 4th. 

The New York Rangers continue their fall towards the bottom of the NHL. Artemi Panarin has been held out of the lineup indefinitely in the hopes of preserving his health for a trade.

The New York Rangers won the first game of their four-game road trip in Philadelphia, but lost the final three games in California to the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks. The Rangers are now last in the Eastern Conference and 28th overall in the NHL standings.

President & General Manager Chris Drury released The Letter 2.0 on Friday, 8 years after Jeff Gorton did the same, signifying a "retool" is upon us. Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck appear at the top of the trade board, as fans join the show to give their thoughts on the state of the Rangers.

The New York Rangers have allowed 30 goals since Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox were injured, yielding 8 goals Wednesday night against Ottawa just four days after Boston hung a 10-spot on them. Jonny Lazarus joins the show.

Igor Shesterkin left the game against the Utah Mammoth in the first period and has been placed on IR after a scary leg injury. Adam Fox didn't start in his usual OT spot and has now been placed on LTIR again. Meanwhile, while most are calling for the Rangers to officially move to seller's mode, Drury seems adamant on trading assets for Kiefer Sherwood.

The New York Rangers take on the Florida Panthers at Loan Depot Park in Miami, Florida, in the 2026 NHL Winter Classic. The Rangers have lost three straight and will be without J.T. Miller, Noah Laba, Conor Sheary, and Adam Edstrom. News also broke that Adam Fox, a top-five defenseman in all of hockey, was left off the USA Olympic roster.