The New York Rangers are just weeks away from drafting second overall in the 2019 Draft. The Garden Faithful are understandably buzzing about the potential impact of adding Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko. Whichever player the Rangers “end up” with with the second overall pick will be an NHL-ready forward.
To state the obvious: that’s a pretty big deal.
The Rangers haven’t taken a forward prospect inside the first five picks of the draft since 1999 (Pavel Brendl). However, they have taken a few forwards later in the first round. Since the 1993-94 season, New York has taken a total of 12 forwards off the board in the 1st round.