After agreeing to transfer the #12 overall pick this year to Pittsburgh to complete the JT Miller trade, the Rangers currently have the following picks in the 2025 NHL Draft that begins tonight.
- Second Round: Pick 43
- Third Round: Pick 70** (From Seattle), Pick 89*** (From Anaheim)
- Fourth Round: Pick 111
- Fifth Round: Pick 139
- Sixth Round: Pick 166 (From Seattle), Pick 171
- Seventh Round: Pick 203
The Rangers currently have just over $12 million in cap space. (Puck Pedia)
Adam Rotter: Transferring the #12 pick to Pittsburgh, which was probably the right decision, did take the fun out of who the Rangers might pick at #12 or whether they would use #12 and something else to try and move up. Instead the Rangers are likely to be on the sidelines tonight unless a K’Andre Miller trade comes together.
A lot about the Rangers and their potential moves seems to have cooled off a bit after the Chris Kreider trade. It’s believed that Chris Drury still wants to make moves and Miller and Carson Soucy are likely their best options. But the Rangers may hold onto Miller until they know whether Vladislav Gavrikov re-signs in LA. The Rangers are believed to be one of the only teams that Gavrikov has interest in and if becomes a free agent, it’s believed that the Rangers view him as Adam Fox’s long-term partner on the left side. Gavrikov is older and will cost more than Miller, but he’s also a much more established and consistent player. Without another major move, which seems unlikely, the Rangers can’t afford Gavrikov and Miller but it would be stupid for the Rangers to trade Milller before they knew if they could get Gavrikov. I’d assume that Gavrikov will sign somewhere on July 1 and that is when the focus could turn back to Miller. If Gavrikov doesn’t sign with the Rangers then the next deadline would be the arbitration filing deadline a few days after July 1 because if you file for arbitration you can’t sign an offer sheet. It still seems more likely than not that Miller isn’t with the Rangers next year, but it doesn’t seem like as much of a slam dunk as it did a few weeks ago.
Other than that, maybe they can move Soucy this weekend to clear out some more cap space.