How did the Rangers fare at the 2018 NHL draft? It depends on whom you ask. The Rangers' 10 selections have split fans into two camps.
There are those who place their trust in the decisions made by Rangers management and director of player personnel Gordie Clark. After all, Clark has gained a reputation as a draft guru due to his hand in the Islanders drafting Roberto Luongo in 1997 and for the draft successes that followed since being promoted to his current role with the Rangers in 2007.
Carl Hagelin, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Jesper Fast, J.T. Miller and Brady Skjei rank as the Rangers' best draft selections since that time. The promise of Pavel Buchnevich, Lias Andersson, Filip Chytil, Boo Nieves, Sean Day, Ryan Gropp and additional prospects could pay off in a big way. Russian phenom Igor Shestyorkin could be a franchise goaltender in waiting after positing consecutive seasons of plus-.933 save percentages in consecutive seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League.
Critics, meanwhile, will point to the haunting mistake of drafting Dylan McIlrath at 10th overall in 2010, while Vladimir Tarasenko, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Cam Fowler ended up being selected later in the first round. This isn't something exclusive to the Rangers. Every organization in the league has their share of hits, misses and should-have-been selections.
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There is also a segment of the fan base voicing its frustrations with the Rangers passing on sniper Oliver Wahlstrom, who was selected by the Isles at 11th overall. The Blueshirts opted instead to choose right wing Vitali Kravtsov (Traktor, KHL) at ninth overall. At this point, it's difficult to gauge whether Wahlstrom or Kravtsov will have the more successful NHL career. Wahlstrom appears to be a pure scorer with dazzling puck skills, while Kravtsov is regarded as a high-IQ player who could grow into a top-six power forward.
The Rangers made a splash by trading up to 22nd overall to select K'Andre Miller of the United States National Team Development Program. I am impressed by their aggressiveness to move up and get their man. It reminded me of when the Blueshirts traded up to 12th overall at the 2005 draft to select Marc Staal. Since 2007, Staal has been a mainstay on the Rangers' blue line and has been a highly dependable presence for the bulk of his career.
Miller has all the tools to be a prototypical modern defenseman. Think of a Seth Jones-like all-around upside. Miller has a long reach, a heavy shot, tremendous athleticism and a big body at 6-foot-3, 199 pounds. Expect Rangers fans to closely follow his development at the University of Wisconsin.
The Rangers selected another athletic defenseman in their final of three first-round picks, choosing Nils Lundkvist at 28th overall. Lundkvist is known for being an excellent puck-mover and impressed as a 17-year-old for Lulea of the Swedish Hockey League.
A few eyebrows were raised when the Rangers used the 39th overall pick to draft goaltender Olof Lindbom. After all, Shestyorkin is widely viewed as the successor to Henrik Lundqvist's throne. The logic of the pick can be debated given the wealth of talented skaters still on the board. That said, the Rangers have excelled at identifying talented goaltenders with upside. It certainly didn't hurt the Stanley Cup-winning Washington Capitals to have two talented netminders in Braden Holtby and Philipp Grubauer. The Caps were able to recoup a second-round pick by trading Grubauer to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday.
Think forward to four years from now. Shestyorkin could be hitting his prime at age 26 and Lindbom could be a capable backup like Antti Raanta and Cam Talbot before him. If Lindbom impresses in a supporting role, the Rangers win. Perhaps the Rangers flip him for a first-round pick or include him in a megadeal down the line should the Blueshirts re-establish themselves as an Eastern Conference contender. If Shestyorkin struggles and Lindbom rises to the challenge and delivers, the Rangers win.
Lindbom (Djurgardens U-20, SuperElit) was named top goaltender at the 2018 IIHF U-18 World Championship, finishing the tournament with a 1.66 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage to help Sweden earn a bronze medal. Think of him as Shestyorkin insurance.
The Rangers continued to stockpile defensemen by drafting Jacob Ragnarsson (70th overall), Joey Keane (88th), Nico Gross (101st) and Simon Kjellberg (163rd). Ragnarsson established himself as an all-situation defenseman for Almtuna IS of Allsvenskan division. Keane (Barrie, OHL) could be a third-round steal given his mobile puck-moving and dependable reputation.
Gross (Oshawa, OHL) is known to play an aggressive game both physically and in how he rushes the puck. Scouts have noted that he must work on defensive awareness. Kjellberg (Rogle U-20 SuperElit) is a big-bodied defenseman with a hard shot.
Finnish wing Lauri Pajuniemi (TPS, Liiga) was selected 132nd overall and is regarded as an agile wing with a creative flair. The Rangers' final pick was wing Riley Hughes (St. Sebastian's, Needham, Massachusetts). Hughes recorded 21 goals and 15 assists in 30 games in his final year for the Arrows. He has committed to Northeastern University.
Overall, the Rangers did a solid job at the 2018 draft. Time will tell whether choosing Kravtsov over Wahlstrom is a wise choice and if using a second-round pick on Lindbom is worth it.
Follow Sean on Twitter at @HartnettHockey
