The Western Conference champion has punched its ticket to the Stanley Cup Final. Carolina in the East holds a 3-1 lead in their series for the right to meet Vegas. Gary Bettman might prefer Montreal-Vegas, but barring a collapse, at least the NHL will get former New York Rangers (and others) John Tortorella to hold court at press conferences (when he shows).
In Rangers land, mainly what we have seen is mock draft after mock draft after mock draft, along with proposed trades to move up to the second, third, and fourth pick. From what I have seen, as per usual, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You can make a case for up to eight players going in the top five, depending on how you rank those players. Based on how the team views that list – and not sure we have supreme confidence in our organization’s front office to make the right pick – may drive whether to try and obtain either the second, third or fourth pick.
Part and parcel with that is how the draft falls out. Will Gavin McKenna go first? Is Ivar Sterberg a lock for the top four? How about Carson Carels and/or Chase Reid? Does Caleb Malhotra slip to five, where the Rangers could make up for how poorly they handled his father? Where will Albert Smits and Keaton Verhoeff get selected? Are the Rangers willing to go for talent, possibly over positional needs and the desire for size, and pick Viggo Bjorck?
If we think the chatter associated with the draft is loud now, just wait a few more weeks. The same can be said about free agency and the possible trade market. Obviously, the main names thrown about from New York as possible trade options out of town are Vincent Trocheck and Braden Schneider. The thinned-out free agent class raises Trocheck’s profile and value – you think Minnesota could have used him in the playoffs? Right side defensemen are always desired, and Scheider, as an RFA – despite his warts – certainly is viewed as attractive. San Jose has prominently been mentioned as a possible match.
The offseason has been interminable. As the days and weeks tick by, my confidence in GM Chris Drury – already thin – has dipped even further. New York needs to crush this draft, not only with pick number five but with pick 26, both possibly in play to move up. We still have time before the draft to see at least one or a thousand mock drafts. Drury needs to be active to bolster the talent and depth on the roster and in the organization. It’s May 28, and the draft is in less than a month in Buffalo. Try to enjoy playoff hockey while we dream of our team back in the mix.
