The Rangers reached a decision on what to do with this year’s first-round draft pick.
By opting to send Pittsburgh the No. 12 overall selection in Friday’s NHL Draft, instead of deferring the transfer to 2026, Blueshirts president and general manager Chris Drury completed the J.T. Miller deal and will keep the unprotected 2026 first-rounder that projects to be much more valuable if the team is contending like they hope to.
The decision, which was first reported by The Post’s Larry Brooks Tuesday morning, bodes well even if the Rangers aren’t as competitive as they plan to be.
The Rangers sent the draft pick to the Penguins to complete the JT Miller trade. Getty Images
Not only is the 2026 draft class said to be a much deeper pool of talent, but the possibility of a Connor McDavid-headlined free agency class next summer is one the Rangers are going to want to have flexibility for.
The Rangers also considered that the 2026 pick would be of much greater value than a 2027 pick at the trade deadline. It could be an asset they use to upgrade if they are gearing up for a return to the playoffs.
Shipping this year’s No. 12 pick — which is now the Penguins to use this Friday in Los Angeles after they acquired it from the Canucks in exchange for Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor — means the Rangers added Miller at $8 million per over the next five seasons for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a first-rounder.
The Rangers also acquired defenseman Erik Brannstrom (later flipped to Sabres for Nicolas Aube-Kubel) and defense prospect Jackson Dorrington in the Miller deal.
Dorrington signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the club in March and posted a goal and an assist in nine games for the Hartford Wolf Pack last season.
The 32-year-old Miller is considered to be part of the team’s long-term plans. The Rangers knew they were going to have to give up a first for Miller, but the organization valued what he’d bring to the locker room and believe his $8 million price tag is reasonable — especially with the cap expected to go up.
Rangers GM Chris Drury talks to reporters after the team hired Mike Sullivan. Robert Sabo for NY Post
As a result of Tuesday’s decision, the Rangers now have eight picks to make at the draft this weekend. They no longer have a first, but will select in the second (No. 43), third (No. 70, No. 89), fourth (No. 111), fifth (No. 139), sixth (No. 166, No. 171) and seventh (No. 203) rounds.
The Rangers traded Chris Kreider and his $6.5 million cap hit to the Ducks earlier this month in order to give themselves some cap flexibility heading into the draft and the opening of the free agency window on July 1.
There are likely more moves coming as Drury aims to reshape the roster and rework the chemistry in the locker room.
The Rangers released their preseason schedule on Tuesday with a slate of six games that run from Sept 21-Oct. 4.
After kicking off the season unofficially against the Devils at Prudential Center, the Blueshirts will have a stretch of three home exhibition contests against the Islanders, Devils and Bruins. They’ll then meet up with the Isles again at UBS Arena on Sept. 29 before capping the preseason with a trip up to Boston.