The New York Rangers won the second lottery for the 2020 NHL draft, which determines which team would get the chance to place at no. 1 generally to choose. That first selection is widely expected to be from Alexis Lafreniere of Rimouski Oceanic in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
In June, a placeholder won the first lottery, meaning one of the eight teams eliminated from the playoffs via the qualifying play-in round would have the honor of drafting the first overall. The Rangers were defeated 3-0 by the Carolina Hurricanes. This will be the second straight year in which the Rangers pick in the top two; ‘s names Kaapo Kakko at no. 2 in 2019.
Our NHL team is here to sort out what it all means for Lafreniere, the Rangers and the rest of the NHL.
On a scale of 1-10, the ridiculousness of the Rangers’ landing ranks the no. 1 pick.
Greg Wyshynski: I’ll go 3 for the suitability of winning the Rangers and 10 for how ridiculous it was. The Rangers were a non-playoff team with a .564 points percentage when the season was paused in March, and they were dragged into the postseason as the NHL expanded it to 24 teams. They are in the midst of a rebuild – and a respectable end to it: Two years after a letter to fans explaining that hard times were ahead, they are already trending back.
This lottery became completely ridiculous at the moment the Rangers’ ball fell too early into the tube of the machine by his handler, causing everyone to say, ‘Huh, it would be hilarious if the Rangers won’, right up until they it did. But please do not harm this person for destroying the surprise: Could you imagine the frostbite he received when he held this ball? (Just kidding, folks. If the NHL really had the ability to run a lottery, Connor McDavid would be a Maple Leaf or a Flyer.)
Emily Kaplan: The full disclaimer here is that I grew up a Rangers fan. Young Emily would rate this as a 1 (she also thought, at one point, that Wade Redden would lead New York to a Stanley Cup, so take that opinion as you will).
A take from a neutral observer: This is probably a 5. There is always a perception that although the competition is obsessed with expanding to different markets, it still favors its marquee teams. It’s not good for the NHL if the Rangers are not relevant. New York last year also attracted a lottery spot at no. That said, of the eight eligible teams, the Rangers were well worth it.
The team that should be most disappointed about losing Lafreniere is _______.
Kaplan: The Minnesota Wild. I feel for the roster that Bill Guerin inherited; the Wild are old and sluggish. “There must be certain changes,” Guerin said earlier Monday. He also said that not only is there no true no. 1-center is on the roster, but he also does not think there is one in the whole organizational system. Not ideal! Plus, the Wilds have never selected higher than No. 3 overall. But Guerin did what his two predecessors did not do when he signed the award-winning Kirill Kaprizov from Russia. Kaprizov will inject the Wild next year with some youth. I just wish he had a wingman with whom he would come in.
Wyshynski: The Toronto Maple Leafs. Granted, the Leafs should not have had a shot at winning the first overall pick as the no. 3-seed in the Atlantic division. But when the NHL wanted to keep the concept before the season restarted, the general managers cried over the possibility of one team winning the top pick and the Stanley Cup in the same season. This was the system created to defeat them, and this is why four playoff-bound teams had a shot at winning the lottery. In the case of the Leafs, they are a capped-out team that is looking at a flat salary cap for at least the next two seasons. Lafreniere would have been a godsend, in terms of both influence and cheap labor.
Instead, the Leafs lose on the first overall pick and have to hand over their first round (13th overall) to the Hurricanes after using it to dump Patrick Marleau’s contract last summer. GM Kyle Dubas has had better weeks.
Fill this sentence: “Thank the hockey gods that _____ did not win the lottery.”
Wyshynski: The Winnipeg Jets. Don’t get me wrong: They are a deserving team and one that would miss the playoffs with a .563 points percentage in a traditional 16-team postseason. But if I could be a little selfish here, as an American NHL fan: Canadian teams have vacuumed Connor McDavid (Oilers), Leon Draisaitl (Oilers), Auston Matthews (Leafs), Patrik Laine (Jets), Matthew Tkachuk (Flames), Elias Pettersson (Canucks) and Quinn Hughes (Canucks). These are some of the most exciting young players in the world, all clustered north of the border. I’m not normally a fan of the[Player X] belongs in a place like New York! “Understand, but yes, Lafreniere heard in a place like New York.
Kaplan: The Edmonton Oilers. I just do not think I could mute it. They had four first general picks from 2010 to 2015. Four! Sure, McDavid and Draisaitl could use some scoring help, but if your franchise gets so many opportunities to draw first and still do silly things, like one of them trades for a deep defender, you need a time-out.
Which team that progresses from the qualifying match regrets not getting a shot at Alexis Lafreniere at the moment?
Kaplan: The Montreal Canadiens. (The answer could also be the Montreal media, who would have murdered to finally see a Quebecois star on the Quebec team). The Habs are obviously happy to be included in the playoffs, but they have no problem being there, as the 24-best team when the season was paused. Plus, while their win in the qualifying game against Pittsburgh was inspiring, it turned out that this team has great defensive buy-ins, but could use some skill to build around that. The Canadiens have Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield in the pipeline, so they can not be too salty.
Wyshynski: The Arizona Coyotes. Yes, it’s amazing that they drew a rise and advanced in the playoffs for the first time since 2012. (Praise to Darcy Kuemper for that). But here’s another drought they could have broken this summer: earning the first overall choice in the NHL draft for the first time since moving to Arizona and for the first time as a franchise since 1981, when the original Winnipeg Jets Dale Hawerchuk selected. The Coyotes are in an eternal battle for popularity, relevance and, more specifically, a new arena. Having a fundamental offensive talent like Lafreniere to build would have been a coup. Heck, it might have convinced Taylor Taylor herself to post as well.
Where does Lafreniere fit in with the Rangers?
Kaplan: He fits in very well in the middle six – and let there be no mistake: the expectation is that Lafreniere will be in the starting line-up and spend the entire season with the big club. (Also, due to CHL rules, he would not be eligible to play full-time in the AHL). This Rangers coaching staff has all the blueprints for how to ease a teenage rookie into the lineup, as they did this year with Kakko. Like Kakko, Lafreniere comes in with great fanfare, and by being one selection higher, he has much more hype.
Lafreniere averaged 2.15 points per game with his junior team last season (the CHL’s highest average since McDavid) and was a World Juniors Championships MVP. He might have adapted to some of the same growing pain in the NHL. For Kakko, it went from European to North American ice. For Lafreniere, it will be going from the biggest and most talented man on the ice every night to one of many great, talented guys on the ice. At Rangers, Lafreniere is surrounded by a good young core. Artemi Panarin is the centerpiece, and Mika Zibanejad, Kakko, Pavel Buchnevich, Jacob Trouba, Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin are all 27 or under. The end of the reconstruction is in sight, and the opening of the window is quite clear.
Does this change the trajectory of Rangers’ 2020-21?
Wyshynski: It does, but not dramatically. Lafreniere joins a Rangers team that is blessed with talent at the front, from rising stars such as Panarin, Zibanejad and Chris Kreider to the next generation of standouts such as Kakko and Filip Chytil. Having him on a rookie deal for the next two seasons under a flat salary cap is a source of envy for other clubs and will enable the Rangers to be aggressive in seeking veteran help at center and on defense.
But this is a team building that cleverly comes back in the form of Cup Contender. The Rangers were already ahead of schedule as an offensive team. Now they are even better. One question though: Did GM spokesman Jeff Gorton perhaps regret that Kreider delivered that complete no-move for the first four seasons of his seven-year extension now that he has Panarin and Lafreniere on the left?
Assuming we have a full 82 game season, Lafreniere’s 2020-21 state line will be ________.
Kaplan: 79 games played, 22 goals, 33 assists, 55 points.
Wyshynski: 76 games played, 31 goals, 29 assists, 60 points.
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