New York Rangers
Rangers Win NHL Draft Lottery, Will Get to Draft Alexis Lafreniere
The New York Rangers have won the NHL Draft Lottery and will earn the right to draft highly-touted forward prospect Alexis Lafreniere.
At 6 PM Eastern time, eight teams were crossing their fingers and hoping that an early exit from the 2020 NHL play-ins wouldn’t be all for nothing. The Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Winnipeg Jets all had a 12.5% chance of having their number drawn in Phase 2 of a lottery that would allow them the right to draft dynamic leftwinger Alexis Lafreniere at this year’s NHL Entry Draft.
The New York Rangers wound up being the lucky franchise.
Related: How Winning the Alexis Lafreniere Lottery Changes the 8 Contenders
Was This Fair?
Gary Bettman joined NBCSN and said that the teams in the lottery now are considered non-playoff teams/lottery clubs and that this was the fairest way to make the most out of a unique season.
Still, there will be many who content the lottery never should have gone this way. Lafreniere will join a team that has a chance to compete immediately.
What The Will Be Drafting
Assuming they’ll select Lafreniere (and there’s really not much an argument not to), will be getting a plug-and-play forward. Ready to make an impact and almost a full-year older than the rest of the draft class, Lafreniere can be inserted into a team’s top-six and make a difference immediately.
A determined fore-checker with excellent skill, Lafreniere is willing to do the dirty work down low and will complement skilled centers in a way no other play in this year’s draft class will. He’s got exceptional hands, creativity and vision, and he’s capable of making plays in the blue-collar areas as well.
A Decorated Resume
Lafreniere comes with a resume that teams would love. Back-to-back extraordinary seasons in the QMJHL and World Juniors experience that any team would love, he’s as highly-anticipated a prospect as there’s been in some time.
Easily a fit for all 31 NHL teams, he might not be in the same generational category as Connor McDavid or Sidney Crosby, but Lafreniere is being compared to players like David Pastrnak or Jonathan Huberdeau and that’s nothing to scoff at.
Where Will He Play?
Lafreniere will likely slot in on the Rangers second line alongside Ryan Strome and Kappo Kakko.
Lafreniere said of the idea that he could go to the Rangers, “Really good news, Rangers are an unreal team with really good players and a really nice city. I’m really happy.” He added that playing with a team with such good players, “Panarin is one of the best players in the league.” He added, “they are a really good team and will have success in the next couple of years.”
Side Note:
As a result of not winning the lottery, the Maple Leafs’ first-round pick now transfers to Carolina as part of the Patrick Marleau trade and buyout. That pick is 13th overall.
Oh, and of course, the NHL rep showing the balls happened to drop the Rangers ball before Bettman had confirmed the logo. Let the conspiracy theories begin.
Next: Maple Leafs vs. Blue Jackets: Best Five-Game NHL Series Of All Time?
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