The New York Rangers fanbase watched glimpses of promise late in what was a brutal 2025-26 season. As the losses piled up and the team fell into the basement of the Eastern Conference, the glimmer of hope the fanbase could latch onto was they win the NHL Draft Lottery, much like they did in 2020.
Instead, the Rangers fell to the No. 5 spot after the Toronto Maple Leafs secured the No. 1 pick and the San Jose Sharks received the No. 2 pick. So with the third-best odds of winning the lottery, the Rangers instead fell down two spots. It's not ideal, especially as the team could have drafted a difference-making forward like Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg. Their only hope was that they could trade up.
Luckily for the Rangers, a path seemed to be available for them to trade up. Multiple reports have indicated that the Sharks are willing to trade the second-overall pick, with the expectation that they are targeting a defenseman. This would have been an ideal scenario for the Rangers. But now, it appears that door has been slammed shut.
Rangers' trade-up scenario with Sharks doesn't sound like a possible plan
TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger said during an appearance on the Barn Burner Podcast that the Sharks are listening on potential offers for the second-overall pick. However, Dreger says the Sharks don't want to trade down past the No. 4 spot.
"San Jose listening to second-overall. San Jose, I'm told, doesn't want to drop below fourth," says Dreger.
Considering the Rangers are below fourth, it seems unlikely the Sharks are going to want to do business with them. Anything is possible and things can obviously change, especially if the Rangers were to, say, make an enticing offer to the Sharks.
In the first-round, there are four defenseman that are considered the best in the class, and they are Chase Reid, Carson Carels, Keaton Verhoeff, and Alberts Smits. Reid feels like the consensus top option, with any of Carels, Verhoeff, and Smits being second, which all depends on team preferences. So by moving back, the Sharks could still get a defenseman of their choice.
Even if teams are listening about trading down, the odds of it happening are quite slim. Let's not forget that the last time a Top 5 pick was traded in the NHL was in 2008, where the New York Islanders traded the fifth-overall pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the seventh-overall pick. The Islanders then dealt the No. 7 pick to the Nashville Predators for the No. 9 pick. The Leafs went on to draft defenseman Luke Schenn at No. 5, while the Predators selected center Colin Wilson at No. 7. The Islanders used the No. 9 pick on center Josh Bailey.
While it would be an incredible feat by general manager Chris Drury to trade up earlier than No. 5 to select a forward like Stenberg or center Caleb Malhotra, history is not on their side. Now, it appears the Sharks are an unlikely trade partner based on Dreger's reporting.
