NHL Entry Draft: 2026 NHL Draft, June 26 7pm ET: Rangers with 5th pick after Lottery

[Leonardo87]

2026 NHL Draft, June 26, Buffalo, 7pm ET

1. Toronto Maple Leafs
2. San Jose Sharks
3. Vancouver Canucks
4. Chicago Blackhawks
5. New York Rangers
6. Calgary Flames
7. Seattle Kraken
8. Winnipeg Jets
9. Florida Panthers
10. Nashville Predators
11. St. Louis Blues
12. New Jersey Devils
13. New York Islanders
14. Columbus Blue Jackets
15. St. Louis Blues (from Detroit Red Wings)
16. Washington Capitals
17. Los Angeles Kings
18. Washington Capitals (from Anaheim Ducks)
19. Utah Mammoth
20. San Jose Sharks (from Edmonton Oilers)
21. Philadelphia Flyers
22. Pittsburgh Penguins
23. Boston Bruins
24. Vancouver Canucks (from Minnesota Wild)
25. Seattle Kraken (from Tampa Bay Lightning)
26. New York Rangers (from Dallas Stars via Carolina Hurricanes)
27. Buffalo Sabres
28. Montreal Canadiens
29. St. Louis Blues (from Colorado Avalanche via New York Islanders)
30. Calgary Flames (from Vegas Golden Knights)
31. Carolina Hurricanes
32. Ottawa Senators

2026 NHL Draft Lottery was held on May 5

2026 NHL Draft Lottery set for May 5 | NHL.com

Will be held at NHL Network studio, telecast live on ESPN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

www.nhl.com

 

[FoxysExpensiveNYDigs]

2026 NHL Draft pick watch: Part Deux(Lottery is May 5th)

View attachment 1227723

2026 NHL Draft Lottery set for May 5 | NHL.com

Will be held at NHL Network studio, telecast live on ESPN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

www.nhl.com

Come on Bettman. Do us a solid.

 

[Leonardo87]

Come on Bettman. Do us a solid.

I just don’t want to drop. lol

 

[UnSandvich]

McKenna
Stenberg
Reid
Smits
Carels
Malhotra
Verhoeff
Bjorck
Lawrence
Rudolph
Belchetz

 

[Sam Rosen]

The reality is that the #3 spot is either jump or drop. Very unlikely to pick 3rd. This draft is interesting, the ordering after pick #2 or #3 seems to be very subjective. The way I'm feeling about this lottery and draft is that we are a lock to at the very least get a top D prospect with an outside, decent chance to land a star winger.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

The reality is that the #3 spot is either jump or drop. Very unlikely to pick 3rd. This draft is interesting, the ordering after pick #2 or #3 seems to be very subjective. The way I'm feeling about this lottery and draft is that we are a lock to at the very least get a top D prospect with an outside, decent chance to land a star winger.

Definitely after 2 is subjective.

Going to be some fun debates if we end up 4-5 which we have about a 70% of.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Rangers Odds of where we draft:

• #1 overall: 11.5%
• #2 overall: 11.2%
• #3 overall: 7.6%
• #4 overall: 39.7%
• #5 overall: 29.8%

 

[bhamill]

Rangers Odds of where we draft:

• #1 overall: 11.5%
• #2 overall: 11.2%
• #3 overall: 7.6%
• #4 overall: 39.7%
• #5 overall: 29.8%

1st over all it is!

 

[kovazub94]

Rangers Odds of where we draft:

• #1 overall: 11.5%
• #2 overall: 11.2%
• #3 overall: 7.6%
• #4 overall: 39.7%
• #5 overall: 29.8%

Least likely to stay at 3 spot. After Vancouver all odds are so spread out that dropping to 4th is 500+% more likely. Dropping to 5 is 300+% more likely than staying at 3.

 

[80s Kid]

Basically ~30% chance we draft between #1-#3 and ~70% chance we fall to #4 or #5.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Come on Bettman. Do us a solid.

Did it work the last time they had high picks. Trade it for a bunch of 6th rd picks since they seem to hit there lol

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Did it work the last time they had high picks. Trade it for a bunch of 6th rd picks since they seem to hit there lol

Laf is still better than those late round “hits” sadly

 

[RangersFan1994]

Laf is still better than those late round “hits” sadly

Not by much lol

 

[mas0764]

Yeah we're most likely 4th.

I'll take Reid or Malhotra.

Malhotra is another long term top 6 forward.

Still think you'll need your Tkachuck and Barkov, your McDavid and Draisaitl, your Kane and Toews, your Stamkos and Kucherov. Your Hall of Famers.

But a supporting cast at Forward would be beginning to take shape.

 

[bobbop]

Bringing back my “good luck” charms from the last two lotteries.

A reminder that they are lottery charms, not development good luck charms.

 

[GAGLine]

LA is about to get swept, so we get their 3rd in 2026. No 4th.

 

[Profet]

LA is about to get swept, so we get their 3rd in 2026. No 4th.

I still can't think of a single instance where the conditions ended up being met in the Rangers' favor.

 

[mike14]

I just don’t want to drop. lol

it's kind of counter intuitive, but i think i'm ok with dropping. That top 6-7 really does seem pretty interchangeable depending on exactly what you value so you'd still be most likely getting a very good player; but your scouting staff aren't 2nd guessing themselves as much, and there's just a bit let pressure in terms of development time frames and pathways.
having said that, if Bettman wants to give us 1OA I'm not complaining!

 

[Ranger Ric]

Yeah we're most likely 4th.

I'll take Reid or Malhotra.

Malhotra is another long term top 6 forward.

Still think you'll need your Tkachuck and Barkov, your McDavid and Draisaitl, your Kane and Toews, your Stamkos and Kucherov. Your Hall of Famers.

But a supporting cast at Forward would be beginning to take shape.

I’m not watching but sounds like Lawrence is having a very strong U-18 so far.

 

[Riche16]

The reality is that ours scouts blow so wherever we pick, it'll be the worst outcome.

Doesn't mean bad, just not ideal.

 

[noncents]

tynan lawrence will be a better nhl player than caleb malhotra. i dont think the rangers have the balls to take the younger, less hyped player. so i hope they take Smits instead.

 

[Synergy27]

Carels is my guy, but I expect he’ll go at three and that we will be picking 4 or 5. Reid is my number 2.

 

[Clark Kellogg]

 

[RangersFan1994]

I juat cant wait till the Rangers draft a elite center prospect and force him to play wing, because of Mika and Miller. the Rangers way. To be honest, I was shocked Laba wasnt playing wing early on.

 

[eco's bones]

I juat cant wait till the Rangers draft a elite center prospect and force him to play wing, because of Mika and Miller. the Rangers way. To be honest, I was shocked Laba wasnt playing wing early on.

I think it's a reach to think that any of Malhotra, Lawrence or Bjork are going to become elite centers. They might turn into players on the level of Suzuki, Hischier, Aho. Those guys are very very good players but they're not elite.

It's a reach to think any of them are going to be playing in the NHL next season too so worrying about them being blocked by Mika or JT---well you could put that off for a year or two. Mika by the way is pretty good at face-offs. JT is outstanding at face-offs. That Laba was pretty much a 50/50 in his first full professional season probably means he's going to be an excellent face-off guy. An 18/19 year old usually is doing okay at face-offs at 35-40%. It's one reason why a lot of young guys in their first pro seasons get moved to the wing because however well they did in the CHL/College they get clobbered at face-offs in the NHL and there goes puck possession.

For Laba---size, skating and speed, good at face-offs, hard on the forecheck, pretty decent defensively is why he was able to stick at center.