Despite being swept by in Stanley Cup Qualifiers, New York Rangers will finish the season on a high note after landing the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 NHL Draft. The Rangers were awarded the pick on Monday night as part of the Second Phase of the NHL Draft Lottery.
Rangers entered the lottery with a 12.5 percent chance to get the top pick.
“I couldn’t believe it really,” said Rangers’ general manager Jeff Gorton. “And then I started thinking right away, wow, this is happening. No.1. We’re picking at No.1.”
This will be the second time for NY Rangers to pick first in the draft after they took Andre Veilleux with No. 1 in 1965. Rangers picked No. 2 in last year’s draft, taking Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko.
Many believe that this year’s first overall pick will be Canadian winger Alexis Lafreniere. Lafreniere spent the previous three season playing in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he had 297 points (114 goals and 183 assists) in 173 games.
The Second Phase of the NHL Draft Lottery also assigned picks from No.9 to No.15 to the remaining seven teams that were eliminated from Stanley Cup Qualifiers. The No.16 to No.31 will be assigned according to Stanley Cup Playoffs performances, while No.2 to No.8 were set in the First Phase of the NHL Draft Lottery.
“Our competitive balance is so extraordinary the differences between and among our clubs isn’t all that great,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. “So under these unusual circumstances, this made the most sense and was fair, despite who you root for and what result [it] ultimately obtains.”
