The New York Rangers just announced that they will be opting to keep their 2026 first-round pick, thus giving their divisional rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the 12th-overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. We will go over how the 12th-overall pick fell into Pittsburgh’s hands, the conditions, and what this means for both the Rangers and the Penguins.
The Two Trades
This pick wasn’t traded directly from the Rangers to the Penguins – the Vancouver Canucks acted as the middleman. On Jan. 31, the Rangers traded for disgruntled star forward J.T. Miller, prospect Jackson Dorrington, and defenseman Erik Brannstrom. In exchange, the Canucks received middle-six forward Filip Chytil, prospect Victor Mancini, and that first-round pick.
At the time, the Canucks were dealing with one of the most drama-filled seasons in recent memory. Miller and Elias Pettersson clashed with each other, forcing the Canucks to choose between them. The Rangers pounced on the opportunity to bring Miller back to the franchise that drafted him 15th-overall in 2011. In addition, the Rangers acquired defenseman Dorrington – who recently left Northeastern University after three years to join the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL). Lastly, the Rangers received 2017 first-round pick Brannstrom, who played six games with Hartford before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres.
Meanwhile, the Vancouver received Chytil – a solid middle-six center drafted by the Rangers back in 2017 – who had developed into a decent scorer before injuries derailed his career. Mancini, after a stellar few years at Providence College, split the season between the Canucks and their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford.
Still hoping they can make the playoffs after trading Miller, the Canucks then flipped the Rangers’ first-round pick to the Penguins. In the deal, the Canucks also gave up winger Danton Heinen, a solid bottom-six option, and defenseman Vincent Desharnais. In exchange, the Canucks received top-four defenseman Marcus Pettersson and depth winger Drew O’Connor.
That’s how the Rangers’ first-round pick fell into the Penguins’ hands.
The Conditions
The first-round pick was top-13 protected, meaning that if the pick landed within the top 13, the Rangers could choose whether to transfer it in 2025 or defer to 2026. Basically, at the time of the trade made with the Canucks, the Rangers they had the option of using their 2025 pick – one they would know the exact position of – or hold onto it and send an unprotected 2026 first-rounder instead.
Related: Rangers Solidify Center Depth With Adam Edström Extension
At the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery, the Rangers received the 12th-overall pick, activating the conditions. After careful consideration, they opted to send the 12th-overall pick to Pittsburgh, keeping their 2026 first-rounder for themselves.
What This Means for the Rangers
I see two main reasons the Rangers decided to send Pittsburgh their 2025 first-round pick, and neither one paints the Rangers in a great light.
First, they may be preparing for a rebuild. It may sound like a bold claim, but if the Rangers weren’t anticipating a rebuild, they would’ve let the Penguins take their 2026 first-round pick instead. That way, the Rangers could’ve used their 12th-overall pick, stayed competitive, and then Pittsburgh would’ve gotten a pick that would fall into the late teens at worst. Instead, by choosing to send the 2025 pick to the Penguins, the Rangers are betting on themselves to be worse next season, and that their 2026 first-rounder will end up at a better position then 12th-overall. To me, that signals that the Rangers will be going into some kind of a rebuild, or at least a retool, for the next two to three years.
The other reason the Rangers did this is so they can use their 2026 first-round pick as a trade chip, which doesn’t make much sense to me. If this was the reason, they would’ve been better off picking a highly touted prospect at 12th overall. The Rangers haven’t picked as high as 12th in five years, and the 2025 draft class is very solid. Holding onto their 2026 first-rounder just to trade it at the deadline can be a risky move, and it hasn’t paid off the last few times the Rangers have done that.
Ultimately, the Rangers giving the Penguins their 2025 first-round pick instead of their 2026 one isn’t that big of a deal, but the move comes with the underlying message that the Rangers are going into a rebuild. This may be a sign that the current version of this Rangers team is approaching the end of its window and management is trying to prepare for the future.
